[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 48 (Thursday, March 17, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      America COMPETES Act of 2022

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have an announcement to make for the 
information of Senators. In a few moments, I will take the next 
procedural step to advance the jobs and competitiveness legislation so 
important to so many of us in this Chamber.
  Last summer, the Senate passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill that 
will bring manufacturing jobs back to America, fix supply chains, fuel 
scientific research, and ultimately lower costs by a significant 
amount. The bipartisan bill will be great news for our economy, our 
entrepreneurs, our innovators, and especially families who are feeling 
the sting because of the chip shortage.
  We all know the chip shortage is hurting so many people. It is 
hurting the auto industry that has had to temporarily shut down 
factories. It has hurt our tech industry, our healthcare industry, and 
so many others. So let's solve this quickly.
  In order to go to conference, the Senate needs to amend the House-
passed COMPETES bill with the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and 
Competition Act and send it back to the House. That is what we will aim 
to do next week as quickly as we can.
  Again, this jobs and supply chains legislation will help lower costs. 
Let us have bipartisan cooperation on this bill. Now, despite cloture, 
it is far better for Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement to 
vote on this bill quickly, and we will keep working on that over the 
next few days.
  It is regrettable that a small band of Republicans are determined to 
stand in the way of quick action after all the good work we have done 
in recent weeks passing bipartisan legislation. Let's add to that tally 
by quickly passing this bill. Creating jobs, lowering costs, and fixing 
supply chains shouldn't be partisan, and I hope to see an agreement to 
expedite this process soon. In the meantime, the process is moving 
forward.

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