[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 2, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S481-S483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Research and Development

  Ms. CANTWELL. Madam President, I come to the floor because this week, 
hopefully, our House colleagues will be taking up legislation that they 
have named America COMPETES. My colleague was just here on the Senate 
floor talking about the legislation we passed last year, and we are 
glad our colleagues are finally addressing this in the House of 
Representatives.
  I said ``glad'' they are ``addressing''--we are happy about that 
because, between 1996 and 2015, federally funded research led to over 
$1 trillion in economic growth and millions of new jobs. So we know 
that when we invest, we see a big return in our economy.
  What we know, however, is that R&D investment is at its lowest point 
in nearly 45 years, as measured as a percentage of GDP. That is where 
we have been going. And the rest of the world isn't waiting.
  Overall, U.S. R&D spending places us ninth globally, behind advanced 
economies like South Korea, Japan, and Germany, and far below the fifth 
place ranking that we held in the 1990s.
  So this is why we need to do something, and that is why we passed 
what was called the United States Innovation and Competition Act last 
year and why we encouraged our colleagues to take it up. There is a 
competition for global leadership in technology in a range of areas--
semiconductors, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, low-Earth orbit 
satellites. And there are countries that are very eager to make 
investments to try to capture those jobs that I mentioned that come as 
a result of investment in technology.
  We know that we tried to solve this problem before; that is, to stay 
competitive. We passed an America COMPETES Act in 2007, and we passed 
one in 2010. And we were trying to stay competitive with changing 
economies and the information age that we now are in. These acts were 
intended to double the key research accounts at the National Science 
Foundation and the Department of Energy, but, unfortunately, the 
appropriations authorized did not materialize. In large part, we had a 
2008 recession and subsequent fiscal sequestration, and we reduced the 
NSF and DOE budgets.
  So we had the right idea. We had a year or so of activity that really 
tried to get us on the right track, and then fiscal issues put us 
behind.
  So job openings today and the opportunities for us to grow our 
economy by making this investment are just monumental. And that is why 
we hope that this is a bipartisan effort by the Senate and, ultimately, 
a bipartisan effort by the House to come together to make the 
investments to help fill these jobs of the future.
  Job openings in computer science occupations are expected to exceed 1 
million in the next few years, nearly 400,000 just in the area of cyber 
security alone.
  The Wall Street Journal reported that planned growth in the U.S. 
semiconductor industry will require up to 90,000 more workers by 2025--
90,000 more workers just in that 1 sector. And these are very well-
paying jobs.
  According to the National Science Board, the only way that the United 
States can fill the gaps in these STEM workers is to double the number 
of women in the STEM workforce and double the number of other 
unrepresented minorities in these jobs. And that is exactly what we are 
trying to do with this legislation.
  On our manufacturing sector--which we have a very large manufacturing 
sector in the Northwest, driven by aerospace but also other forms of 
transportation, and it also includes small and medium-sized 
manufacturing--but one organization estimated that it will take up to 
$250 billion over 10 years to help us upgrade our existing 
infrastructure in manufacturing and equipment to be competitive.
  So that means we must do our part. Many of these industries will do 
their part. But on the R&D side, we must continue to do our part.
  Other countries are investing heavily. On the semiconductor advanced 
manufacturing facilities, which are very, very expensive to build, we 
just heard of a major announcement by Intel a few weeks ago about their 
investment in the State of Ohio. These facilities can cost $30 billion 
over 10 years, including $20 billion in just the capital expenses. 
Other countries are making huge investments to help build cheaper 
foundries, anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of the investment in Asia.
  So, as a result, over the last several decades, the United States has 
lost a big share of what they had in the semiconductor manufacturing 
chip sector, going from about 37 percent of the market for production 
from the United States down to 12 percent today.
  So the United States must respond, and we must continue to make 
investments in these sectors. My colleagues, as we had this floor 
debate, will remember, we talked about a $52 billion investment--an 
enormous amount of money. But I asked my colleagues who helped us get 
this legislation and those who weren't with us at that moment to 
consider this information: The semiconductor shortage cost vehicle 
manufacturers, just in 2021, $210 billion. In 1 year, our shortage cost 
us $210 billion.

  So I think making this investment in chip production in the United 
States is critical. It is time we try again with our House colleagues. 
It is time that we engage in a bipartisan legislative process to get 
this legislation to the President's desk.
  I know the House will consider many amendments on Friday when they 
are supposed to take up this bill. We in the Commerce Committee had 
over 230 amendments filed. We approved 130 amendments. We had a 6-hour 
markup. We had healthy debate on amendments, and then the Senate 
proceeded to an open-floor debate and hundreds of amendments were filed 
here on the Senate floor.
  So I encourage our colleagues in the House to have their amendments, 
to consider these ideas, and to come to an effort with us to get this 
legislation passed.
  We know that this would be the largest 5-year commitment to public 
R&D in our Nation's history. We need it for the job growth. We need it 
to stay competitive.
  This legislation would also make a $15 billion investment in growing 
and diversifying that STEM workforce. As I said, given the large amount 
of job openings in this sector, we are not going to find the people to 
take them unless we are diversifying our workforce.
  This would establish a Senate-confirmed position on improving STEM 
diversity and make sure that NSF and the investments we would make 
would help us not only assure diversity but geographic diversity within 
the United States.
  This legislation would also create a first-of-a-kind NSF--National 
Science Foundation--tech directorate to help accelerate the development 
and translation of new technologies within the United States to the 
future and helping those jobs grow more quickly.
  Now, I know a lot of people, probably at the beginning: If NSF was 
already doing a good job, if DOE was already doing a good job, why do 
we have to do something different?
  Well, the issue is the United States is producing a lot of R&D, and 
that R&D is being used by other people. It is actually documented 
public information that ends up getting used and translated by somebody 
else hungrier, faster moving, with opportunity, and thereby getting 
translated. So this bill addresses that. This bill, with the creation 
of a tech directorate, is about accelerating the R&D that we do and 
turning it into real manufacturing at a faster rate.
  We call this tech transfer. And if you have any kind of university in 
your State, you know exactly what I am talking about, and these 
universities play a key role in tech transfer. In fact, tech transfer 
in this realm of university has been responsible for about 4 million 
jobs over the last 20 years, I think it is--the last 20 years. So these 
are big investments that they have supported. They have supported over 
4 million jobs.
  So USICA would make an investment of 17 billion in the Department of 
Energy and authorize the tripling of the manufacturing extension 
partnership to help with those manufacturing opportunities and also 
make investments in tech hubs to help create private sector investment 
and the same kind of workforce opportunities for the future.
  As I mentioned, the announcement by Intel in Ohio to build a new 
foundry and the expensive cost of building a new foundry was 
interesting news because it wasn't in the same places that

[[Page S482]]

investments in chip fabrication has been done so far. And yet the CEO 
of the company said, if we pass this legislation, there could be 100 
billion in investment.
  That is important because we have to understand how important chip 
fabrication is, semiconductors are, to the information age that we live 
in today--how important it is that we not lose market share any lower 
than 12 percent and we actually start going back in the other direction 
so that we can grow these jobs in the future.
  So I just want to emphasize: There is a lot to agree on with House 
colleagues. Both bills call for a $52 billion investment in the 
semiconductor industry. Both bills call for major investment, about 
$160 billion, in critical R&D Agencies like the National Science 
Foundation and the Department of Energy. Both bills recognize the need 
to invest in creating tech hubs and making investments in the domestic 
supply chain. Both bills call for growing the diversity of our STEM 
workforce to meet workforce gaps. Both bills attempt to address 
disparities in our trade and research policies that I was just 
mentioning--trying to not let people just grab the R&D that the United 
States does and translate that, but make sure that we have strong laws 
in preventing intellectual property theft where it occurs and making 
investments in American businesses. And we know that there are other 
provisions that we will be able to agree on as well. So with our 
investment in R&D reaching a 45-year low, now is the time to grow our 
economy.

  I hope our colleagues in the House will join in a bipartisan effort. 
We stand ready in the Senate to join a serious discussion to get this 
legislation onto the President's desk and grow these jobs. It is a very 
important economic opportunity for the United States and continues our 
leadership.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.


                   Unanimous Consent Request--S. 3565

  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, as our Nation continues to 
battle against COVID-19, we know that the best way forward for 
defeating this virus is making sure Americans have adequate prevention 
and treatment options against this terrible illness.
  While I understand that we are still learning about COVID-19 every 
day, I share the frustrations of public health leaders and the American 
people at the Federal Government's lack of proactive leadership in 
fighting this virus. Even with a vaccine developed under the previous 
administration, President Biden has not been able to slow COVID-19's 
spread.
  The Federal Government's most important role during a public health 
crisis is to provide accurate information to the American people. 
Unfortunately, over the past year, there has been mixed messaging, 
cruel and unfair finger-pointing, baseless censorship, and a striking 
lack of effort put into comprehensive public health education efforts.
  You should be able to get a test, period, but many Americans have 
been frustrated at the lack of at-home tests as the virus has continued 
to spread under President Biden. However, as we seek to ensure the 
health and well-being of American families, we must do so while using 
taxpayer dollars responsibly.
  It is imperative that the Federal Government do everything in its 
power to complete our public health mission in a manner that 
prioritizes support for domestic manufacturing. That is why, as soon as 
I learned about the administration's intent to purchase 500 million at-
home COVID-19 rapid tests for the public earlier this year, I wrote to 
the HHS Secretary and urged him to prioritize the purchase of American-
made COVID tests and prohibit the purchase of tests made in communist 
China.
  We know that at least two FDA-authorized at-home COVID-19 antigen 
tests are manufactured in communist China and imported into the United 
States. The last thing the American tax dollars should go towards is 
funding a country that is guilty of starting the pandemic, covering up 
and lying about the origins of COVID-19, committing genocide again 
millions of Uighurs, destroying democracy in Hong Kong, persecuting 
Tibetans, harassing and threatening Taiwan, stealing American 
technology and research, and engaging in illegal and unfair trade 
practices.
  Giving communist China taxpayer money would be a complete abuse of 
the public trust. Sadly, although unsurprisingly, that is exactly what 
the Biden administration has done in its decision to funnel $1.28 
billion to Andon Health, a Chinese company. That is right--instead of 
supporting American manufacturing and exclusively ordering American-
made tests, the Biden administration is handing nearly $1.3 billion of 
taxpayer funds to a company in communist China. This isn't a secret; it 
was widely reported by Reuters last month.
  I am sure we all remember Biden's promise to ``Buy American.'' It is 
a commitment I and many of my colleagues in the Senate applauded. But, 
like so many promises made by this President, it has been broken.
  That is why I introduced the No Taxpayer Dollars for Communist China 
COVID Tests Act--a bill to right the wrongs of the Biden administration 
and prohibit buying or importing COVID-19 tests made in communist China 
with U.S. tax dollars. I would like to thank Senator Roger Marshall for 
cosponsoring this bill.
  We need this legislation because President Biden has announced that 
the government will be purchasing 500 million more at-home tests, and 
just last week, the Department of Defense announced it was buying more 
than 100 million tests from Andon Health to achieve Biden's goal. That 
is more money for communist China's economy and less investment in our 
own economy.
  The Federal Government has a responsibility to support American 
manufacturers, especially as our economy recovers from COVID-19. We 
cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that it was the Chinese Communist 
Party that lied about this deadly virus, tried to hide it, and has 
continuously covered up the origins of COVID-19. We know that every 
dollar spent on COVID-19 tests manufactured in communist China goes 
directly to supporting General Secretary Xi and his genocidal regime.

  People in this town think taxpayer money is free money to use as they 
want. They forget that for every dollar collected, there is a hard-
working American who earned that money by the sweat of their brow. We 
have a duty and obligation to ensure that we spend that money wisely.
  Thankfully, we won't lose anything or experience shortages by not 
giving these contracts to Chinese companies. It means HHS will have to 
work harder to get good, responsible contracts. But the Biden 
administration's willingness to fund the communist Chinese economy 
instead of the American economy is an absolute disgrace. It is another 
example of Joe Biden's willingness to appease dictators and forsake 
democracy, freedom, and human rights.
  So, with many of these tests already repurchased and the Biden 
administration planning to spend billions more taxpayers dollars, it is 
important that Congress act on this immediately, which is why I will be 
asking to pass this good and commonsense bill today.
  As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3565, which is at the 
desk; further, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read 
a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ossoff). Is there objection?
  Mr. WYDEN. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. I will offer another proposal shortly as an alternative to 
Senator Scott's unanimous consent request, and I am going to make a few 
brief points before I do that.
  I want to make clear that on this side, nobody--nobody--takes a 
backseat to anyone else when it comes to standing up to the horrific 
abuses of the Chinese Government against its people as well as its 
economic cheating that has ripped off American jobs and our prosperity.
  That is why I worked with our colleague from Ohio, Senator Brown, to 
close once and for all an immoral and unjustifiable loophole that 
allowed some products made with forced labor to enter into the United 
States.

[[Page S483]]

  That is why I have also worked with Senator Crapo on a bipartisan 
effort to build on that progress with respect to forced labor and crack 
down on the rest of China's playbook of abuses and rip-offs. We wrote a 
bipartisan amendment that deals with forced labor investigations, with 
intellectual property protection, and with counterfeiting. It helps 
level the playing field in the fight against China. It helps strengthen 
and speed up trade enforcement and increases transparency in trade 
agreements and trade law. These have been priorities of mine throughout 
my time in the U.S. Senate.
  Obviously, I was very pleased when our bipartisan amendment with 
Senator Crapo was included in the China competition bill. Overall, the 
bill--and it was bipartisan--is all about creating jobs by building up 
supply chains within the United States, investing in sensible science, 
and battling some of the key cost drivers--cost drivers--in inflation.
  Mr. President, colleagues, Senator Scott voted against that 
bipartisan bill. The bipartisan bill passed by a vote of 68 to 32, but 
my colleague from Florida voted no. So I just want--as people reflect 
on this debate--to note for the record who exactly was working to make 
progress in the fight against China's worst practices and who is making 
speeches about them.
  Second, America needs as much manufacturing capacity as possible as 
soon as possible here for antigen tests to meet our needs. 
Unfortunately, we are not there yet. The Biden administration recently 
launched a free-to-order testing system--free-to-order testing system--
online. Sixty million households have ordered tests. That is nearly 
half the total number of households in the country, so there is big 
demand.
  The President has committed to making a billion tests available 
through that particular program. That is on top of other programs 
sending millions of tests each week and month to nursing homes, rural 
health clinics, schools, and elsewhere. The administration is buying 
all the American-made COVID tests it can get its hands on, but it is 
not enough to meet demand.
  Let's make no mistake--all steps are being taken to make these 
crucially needed tests available to Americans.
  The Scott bill would create a shortage of COVID tests. So, in 
addition to voting against the bipartisan bill that really would have 
tackled the big issues dealing with China, my colleague has an effort 
to create a shortage of tests. That would be a mistake. It would 
prolong an Omicron wave and put lives in danger. That just isn't common 
sense.
  The American people want the supply of COVID tests to be large enough 
that nobody has to camp out in a drugstore parking lot waiting for the 
next delivery. That doesn't mean they are in league with the Chinese 
Government's horrible genocide against the Uighur people, but that is 
essentially what this bill is saying.
  After we have dealt with the Scott proposal, which doesn't do 
anything to help America's working families and our children, I am 
going to propose something that does and does it quickly.
  The fact is, there are tens of millions of families across the 
country who need help paying for housing and childcare and the other 
basic necessities of life. That is what the Senate ought to be focused 
on. That is what we ought to be zeroing in on because that is going to 
make life better for families and for kids. So when this legislation is 
disposed of, I am going to propose that the Senate pass a 1-year 
extension of the expanded child tax credit, which expired on January 1. 
That is something, colleagues, which really helps families, and they 
are hurting right now. The Senate knows they are walking on an economic 
tightrope, balancing the food bill against the fuel bill, and the 
reality is, a lot of them had extra expenses due to the variant.
  I have been trying to get colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
for well over a month to support the child tax credit. Our colleagues 
on this side of the aisle have been relentless in their support for it. 
Child tax credit payments cut child poverty nearly in half; food 
insecurity among families dropped by 25 percent--story after story from 
parents across the country talking about how the program helped them 
put food on the table, how it helped them buy their kids' school 
clothes and helped them avoid financial ruin when a parent was laid 
off.
  The fact is, Social Security was a bond between the government and 
elders. What the child tax credit has been all about is creating a new 
bond to try to help families, vulnerable families and their kids--an 
economic lifeline to them.
  What I am going to propose, I think, as we move to this debate--
because we will hear from our colleague from Florida--we have a choice. 
If you want to do something that does absolutely nothing but put 
Americans in a tougher spot in terms of getting the help they need to 
deal with COVID, that is what happens under the proposal by my 
colleague from Florida, or do you want to do something that will put 
cash into the pockets of parents so they can help their kids?
  I can tell the Presiding Officer, I am sure he, as a new parent, 
hears this from his contemporaries: The child tax credit is going for 
luxuries.
  I was just home. I had six townhall meetings--by the way, in mostly 
conservative areas--and families were using those child tax credits for 
buying shoes and food and essentials.
  So that is what the choice here is going to be.
  For the reasons that I describe now, I object to the unanimous 
consent request from our colleague from Florida.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. First off, if my colleague actually wanted to 
help American families, he would do whatever he could to get American 
families jobs.
  I can't understand why my colleague would object to this bill. When 
did the Democrats decide that they no longer care about the oversight 
authority of Congress?
  My colleague never said that HHS couldn't find American manufacturers 
for these tests. He didn't go back and check to see if they did. It 
seems like every one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle is 
just another member of the Biden administration focused on covering up 
for Joe Biden and his appeasement of General Secretary Xi.
  I am actually trying to support American jobs and American families 
so they can support themselves.
  I want to support American manufacturers and the American supply 
chain. The Biden administration is actively choosing to support the 
communist Chinese regime and their economy instead. This is what he was 
elected to do, and this is the last thing American families want to see 
their tax dollars go for.
  As stewards of taxpayer dollars, it is our duty to make sure we are 
doing everything we can to support the American economy, not the 
communist Chinese economy, especially following the pandemic and during 
this time of record-high inflation.
  So I think objecting to this bill is a choice just to appease 
communist China, and it is dearly disappointing that we couldn't pass 
this good, commonsense bill today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.