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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko today joined the first public meeting of conferees in the House and the Senate to deliver remarks ahead of negotiations to resolve the differences between the House’s America COMPETES Act of 2022, and the Senate’s United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2022 (USICA). Last month, Tonko was named as one of the House conferees tasked with leading negotiations between the House and Senate on these two bills.

View Rep. Tonko’s opening statement HERE and see below as prepared for delivery:

The landmark innovation package we are considering today will transform our ability to compete abroad while securing good jobs here at home. 

A $52 billion investment in the CHIPS for America Act is essential to expanding America’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. 

New York’s Capital Region has so much to gain from strong investments in semiconductor manufacturing – which provides thousands of jobs in the region - and is uniquely poised to lead the nation in advancements in this emerging field, which is why I’ve led the fight to get this critical initiative funded in the House.

The funding will also allow us to stand up the National Semiconductor Technology Center – which I’m working to host in New York’s Capital Region.

And the bipartisan Micro Act, included in the House bill, will complement CHIPS by accelerating early-stage microelectronics research at the Department of Energy to feed into these National Semiconductor Technology Center and manufacturing facilities. 

These investments must be accompanied by efforts to better attract and retain qualified workers from across the globe, while supporting greater domestic STEM education and workforce development. 

DOE is critical to this effort, and our national labs must be well-represented in a final conference agreement. 

In addition to R&D, DOE can play a key role in improving domestic manufacturing.  

Provisions like my Flex Tech legislation, included as an amendment in the House, would establish a program for states to support manufacturers by funding energy studies and the implementation of recommendations from those studies. 

Many states already have successful programs to support industrial energy efficiency, and this provision would build on those efforts. 

We also know the solar industry is currently involved in a major tariff case, and I fear these types of cases will continue until we invest throughout the entire domestic solar supply chain. 

We should enact the provision included in the House-passed bill to reclaim solar manufacturing.  

Finally, an amendment based on my Restoring Offshore Wind Opportunities Act was included in the House bill to overturn the arbitrary leasing ban set to go into effect this summer in North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. 

Blocking offshore wind development not only hurts our clean energy goals, but also undermines America’s offshore businesses, which are working to create high quality jobs and ensure America’s leadership in this emerging global industry. 

I look forward to this conference reaching agreement on a package that prioritize these issues. 

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