[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 2, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CHINA COMPETITIVENESS BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Balderson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BALDERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concerns with 
H.R. 4521. I want to talk for a moment not about China but about 
Licking County, Ohio, and the district I represent.
  Licking County, located on the outskirts of Columbus, was cast into 
the national spotlight last month when a major U.S. tech company 
announced an initial $20 billion investment to build the first phase of 
what they plan to grow into the world's largest semiconductor 
manufacturing facility. This investment will put Licking County at the 
epicenter of a new silicon heartland and at the forefront of addressing 
the Nation's semiconductor shortage.
  This investment will have an economic ripple effect throughout the 
region. Indeed, it will benefit our entire country.
  Semiconductor chips are crucial components to products Americans use 
every day, including cars, computers, cell phones, and virtually every 
electronic device in our homes. Since the early 1990s, the United 
States' share of semiconductor manufacturing has fallen from 37 percent 
to just 12 percent today. Asian countries now account for more than 70 
percent of semiconductor chip manufacturing globally.
  The COVID-19 pandemic and its following supply chain disruptions have 
brought this issue to the forefront for every American. One concern for 
Americans in the market for a new car is the empty lots of dealerships 
as automobile production lines wait for chips from Asia.
  Failing to address the shortage of semiconductor chips could have 
dire consequences for our national security. With production of U.S. 
military defense systems dependent upon access to these chips, 
overreliance on foreign countries leaves U.S. national security 
interests vulnerable, too. We cannot allow ourselves to be held hostage 
by the imbalance of foreign chip production.
  The United States is not alone. Other countries are waking up to this 
reality, too. As I speak, the European Union is developing CHIPS 
legislation in an effort to quadruple their production of semiconductor 
chips by 2030. Falling further behind in chip manufacturing is a 
national security issue that we just can't afford.
  I am honored to represent a community that will soon play a leading 
role in addressing the global chip shortage and producing these 
components vital to our modern economy. I am excited that we have an 
opportunity to help grow U.S. manufacturing of chips to epic 
proportions with a much-needed investment.
  The CHIPS for America Act investment will level the playing field and 
let U.S. manufacturers compete in this market. But, once again, 
Democrat leadership is doing it the wrong way.
  My constituents, and all Americans, were hopeful that the majority 
here in Congress had learned from their recent failures about what 
happens when these packages become too big, too costly, and too 
partisan. The CHIPS Act presents Congress with a golden opportunity to 
finally pass a bipartisan, commonsense investment that would bolster 
American competitiveness on the world stage. Unfortunately, the CHIPS 
Act constitutes a small fraction of the bill's overall price tag, which 
is over $300 billion.
  Instead, the House Democrats worked behind closed doors with no 
Republican input and managed to bury good provisions under a mountain 
of unrelated policies that have nothing to do with American 
competitiveness.
  In their hasty attempt at a partisan victory, the Democrats' bill 
funnels $8 billion to the unaccountable U.N. Green Climate Fund, which 
has already given $100 million to the Chinese Communist Party.
  It pours billions of dollars into offshore climate change resiliency 
programs instead of holding China, the world's worst polluter, 
accountable for its own destructive emission standards.
  It also creates unlimited visas and immigration pathways for Chinese 
nationals with STEM degrees. This allows the CCP to handpick which 
Chinese nationals apply for visas and opens the door for CCP to use 
unlimited visas to encourage espionage and the theft of sensitive 
technologies.
  It also creates climate change officers within the Foreign Service, 
weakening our diplomats' focus on our core national interests.
  In an effort to improve this bill, I offered commonsense amendments 
to encourage domestic manufacturing of critical products. I also 
offered amendments to remove the billions of dollars in partisan 
spending for global green new deal programs and shift focus on what 
this bill should be about.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today is proof House Democrats 
learned nothing from their disastrous Build Back Better blunder. Rather 
than allowing American economic competitiveness to be a rallying point 
for bipartisanship, the majority's all-or-nothing approach makes this 
yet another missed opportunity.

  If this bill advances to conference committee, I am hopeful that the 
conferees will focus on areas of bipartisan, bicameral agreement like 
the CHIPS Act. It is past time to bolster this production here at home.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stop with the messaging bills 
and bring a piece of legislation to the floor that can win strong 
bipartisan support. Together, we can ensure that the serious business 
of American competitiveness gets the careful consideration and support 
it deserves.

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