After a months-long bipartisan, bicameral negotiation process, Congress took the first step to enhance U.S. innovation leadership and global competitiveness by passing the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. This bipartisan bill includes $54.2 billion in total appropriations for domestic semiconductor fabrication, assembly, research and development, and includes funds specifically designated for public wireless improvements and workforce development.
As a top priority for the U.S. equipment manufacturing industry, AEM, in coordination with the White House and a small group of selected industry groups, enacted a comprehensive advocacy campaign to obtain strong bicameral and bipartisan support for this critical investment, helping end long term semiconductor shortages and supply chain disruptions impacting domestic equipment manufacturing. Utilizing both political outreach and strategic public affairs efforts, AEM met with over 100 lawmakers to garner intel on the ongoing negotiations, as well as support for the CHIPS bill when introduced. We also released the results of a timely CEO survey highlighting the challenges facing the industry, which was written about in an exclusive story with Bloomberg News. The White House was excited to leverage the results of our survey to help bolster support for this bill and featured both the Bloomberg piece and our survey in a communication to their national media list. In partnership with AEM’s volunteer leader network, we also placed more than a dozen opinion pieces and media interviews across the country. All this work culminated in an activation of our I Make America grassroots supporters, who sent in over 1,500 letters to their elected officials in support of this legislation.
Our advocacy efforts did not go unnoticed by the Biden Administration. AEM staff were honored to attend the bill signing that took place on Tuesday this week on the White House South Lawn. These intense negotiations, and the resulting bill, are a reminder that no matter how divisive our nation’s politics have become, sound and timely policy can still garner strong bipartisan support. AEM applauds lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who supported this critical legislation, and we continue to push for additional legislative solutions to address the myriad of challenges impacting U.S. manufacturing.
To learn more about the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, or to get engaged in AEM’s advocacy efforts, please contact AEM’s senior advisor, global public policy, Alex Russ at aruss@aem.org.
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