[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 23 (Friday, February 4, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             AMERICA COMPETES ACT IS A WIN FOR THE COUNTRY

  (Ms. DEAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, for decades we have heard elected officials 
rightfully decry the loss of American jobs, and then promise to bring 
them back.
  And for generations Americans have waited for that promise. Here is 
the chance.
  Since January 2000, the United States has lost over a quarter of all 
domestic manufacturing jobs. That means a decline of more than 4.7 
million jobs in just two decades.
  Real people have paid the consequences. I have seen it in my own 
district, suburban Philadelphia; in places like Pottstown, Boyertown, 
Norristown that have lost manufacturing jobs and opportunities.
  The America COMPETES Act is a chance to revitalize these and other 
communities as well as to strengthen our national security. Here are 
some highlights:
  $52 billion to maintain and expand our production of semiconductor 
chips right here at home, which run our cars, phones, computers, 
healthcare system;
  $45 billion to improve our supply chains, with a special focus on 
producing more of our critical goods here; and
  Investments in scientific research and innovation so that we are not 
only in this century but we are globally leading it.
  This bipartisan legislation should be an easy ``yes'' for everyone in 
this Chamber and everyone in the Senate to pass. The America COMPETES 
Act is not a political win. It is a win for America.

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