WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed on Friday a multibillion-dollar bill aimed at increasing American competitiveness with China and boosting U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, despite Republican opposition.
The Democratic-majority House backed the “America Competes Act of 2022” by 222-210, almost entirely along party lines. One Republican joined Democrats in voting for the measure and one Democrat voted no. The Passage sends the measure for negotiations with the Senate on a compromise, which would have to pass both chambers before it could be sent to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature.
The House bill includes $52 billion to subsidize semiconductor manufacturing and research, as shortages of the key components used in cars and computers have been exacerbated by supply chain bottlenecks, and $45 billion to ease supply chain problems.
The bill would also authorize $8 billion in U.S. contributions to the Green Climate Fund, established by the Paris Agreement to combat climate change, to help developing countries cope.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., last week said the 2,900-page bill would “supercharge” investment in chips, boost U.S. manufacturing and research and advance American leadership as it confronts a rising China.
“It is about making America… self-sufficient when it comes to the supply chain, so that we’re not depending on other countries,” she told reporters Friday before the vote, adding negotiations with the Senate would begin quickly upon passage.
