Congress must pass the COMPETES act

[Savago]

Disclaimer: I'm a software engineer working in the semi conductors industry. This is as subject that I have deep interest for many reasons.

We all know by now that scarcity of chips stops whole industries (cars, tvs, you name it).

I won't waste time on how strategic it is to have a strong chip industry in American soil and if we learned something with Putin's adventure in Ukraine, is that Xi could perfectly well take Taiwan next (where TSMC is located, the same company that makes Apple's iphone chips, Nvidia, etc).

What most people are not aware is that the USA not only invented chips, but it used to manufacture them (i.e. in early 90's, America manufactured around 37% of the chips in the world, currently is only 12%).

That ensures good local jobs while securing the supply chain in case of disrupting events (e.g. pandemics, wars, etc).

What changed? Well... while the American government pretty much stopped investing in microchips in the last 20-25 years, other countries are doing exactly the opposite.

China, Japan, South Korea are providing heavy resources to their local companies to build new foundries a.k.a. a chip factory.

Those requires massive amount of money (think $10bi to $20billions) and takes years to become operational (i.e. 3 to 4 years).

Intel is the only and last American high tech chip manufacturer left. They asked congress for help in 2020 and provided the blueprint for the CHIPS ACT (https://www.semiconductors.org/chips/). It was approved by the senate in Jan 2021, but congress still needs to pass the needed funding.

The CHIPS Act model was quickly copied by China and they already made available $150bi to their local companies to achieve 40% of manufacturing capacity in the world in coming years.

While China gets stuff done, there is another bill that was voted in the Congress in 2021, the America COMPETES act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4521/all-actions?overview=closed&q=%7B%22roll-call-vote%22%3A%22all%22%7D).

The hope is that both bills (CHIPS x COMPETE) could come to a conciliation process and maybe(?) be implemented later this year.

So why this long message?

Because I just checked the votes for the COMPETE act (https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202231) and I'm having a hard time to believe (or not...) that only *1* Republican voted for it.

All other 209 Republicans voted against it (with 2 not voting).

The Bill has some miscellaneous stuff (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4521), but why not vote for it?

Intel is a competitor of my employer, but I really hope they get the help they need to secure a strong and healthy foundry infrastructure in the USA.
 
I believe is way past time that politicians place country before party.

[Savago]

Kudos to the only Republican that voted 'yea' for the bill:
https://clerk.house.gov/members/K000378

The other remaining 209 are useless.

[Serk]

The Bill has some miscellaneous stuff (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4521), but why not vote for it?

"miscellaneous stuff" is a bit of an understatement. This thing is a left wing dream pork fest of crazy stuff.... Lots of Green New Deal shenanigan's  and other harmful crap.

"Much of the bill proposes climate change policies that would hurt the energy-rich U.S., like complying with the Paris climate accord. The bill gives $8 billion with no strings attached to what Republicans in Congress describe as a “green energy slush fund” at the United Nations. In addition, it funnels $2 billion per year in perpetuity to foreign countries to help them fight climate change, duplicating spending already underway via the State Department and USAID."

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/593676-gop-dont-fall-for-the-america-competes-act

Instead of this 2,912 left wing fever dream, I've got a much simpler proposal:

Eliminate federal taxes for any company that builds new fabs in the USA for at least 20 years.
Cut harmful regulations (Which are often more the reason companies move over seas than even cheap labor.)

Get out of the way and let American business loose to own the market again.

Anything the government touches turns to crap. Do we want to destroy what little fab we still have on our soil by getting government involved?

“The top 9 most terrifying words in the English Language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.”

--Ronald Reagan

[Savago]

@Serk: I rather prefer they didn't put so much c*rap in the bill, but I'm ok with it if something good comes out of it.

>... little fab we still have on our soil...

Pat Gelsinger (the architect of the 486 processor, former VMWare CEO and now back at Intel as new CEO) went to the Senate to explain *why* they need help to be able to compete against Asia.

Check this: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/6778DDE7-A079-4F1F-84D4-BF91840DE506

It simply can't be done alone if China/Japan/Korea is helping their players and Intel is left alone to fend for the USA.

I believe that microchips is becoming something of national security matter, its past time to properly support our players (well, really only Intel is left).

[Serk]

And not mentioned, but somehow Texas Instruments is able to run a Fab here in Dallas, and is building more north of Dallas...

https://news.ti.com/texas-instruments-to-begin-construction-next-year-on-new-300-mm-semiconductor-wafer-fabrication-plants

No thank you, keep government out of it, REDUCE government involvement in fabs not increase it...



(BTW, you're one of the few people that would appreciate one of my prized possessions from my time at TI, a pair of wafers signed by Jack Kilby...)

[Savago]

(BTW, you're one of the few people that would appreciate one of my prized possessions from my time at TI, a pair of wafers signed by Jack Kilby...)

Damn... that is epic!
 

[carolinarider09]

"miscellaneous stuff" is a bit of an understatement. This thing is a left wing dream pork fest of crazy stuff.... Lots of Green New Deal shenanigan's  and other harmful crap.

"Much of the bill proposes climate change policies that would hurt the energy-rich U.S., like complying with the Paris climate accord. The bill gives $8 billion with no strings attached to what Republicans in Congress describe as a “green energy slush fund” at the United Nations. In addition, it funnels $2 billion per year in perpetuity to foreign countries to help them fight climate change, duplicating spending already underway via the State Department and USAID."

Instead of this 2,912 left wing fever dream, I've got a much simpler proposal:

Eliminate federal taxes for any company that builds new fabs in the USA for at least 20 years.
Cut harmful regulations (Which are often more the reason companies move over seas than even cheap labor.)

Get out of the way and let American business loose to own the market again.

Anything the government touches turns to crap. Do we want to destroy what little fab we still have on our soil by getting government involved?

“The top 9 most terrifying words in the English Language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.”

--Ronald Reagan

   What Serk Said!!!

Nothing this administration has done (by "this administration" I mean the Biden Administration with Biden as the figure head) has helped the people of the United States.  They have tired to spend trillions of dollars more than needed (borrowing to buy votes).

They have cut off the production of oil providing an energy crisis not seen for 40 years.  

They removed tariffs on 350 plus Chinese products.  Truly not in our best interests.  This also makes the Chinese goods cheaper than goods made here but now he wants to spend billions to "innovate".  That is crap.  Total crap!!!!

Get the foot of the government off the throat of the people.  Less regulations and government interventions not more.  Less!!!!!  Less!!!!!

As with all the things that this administration has done, the main point of the Competes Act is to provide funds for future votes.  

You want the US to produce more, be more efficient, get the government's boot off our throats.  

[Skinhead]

The Bill has some miscellaneous stuff , but why not vote for it?

Serk has answered your question for you.  The left (and the right), or Dems and Repubs need to stop muddying up needed legislation with fluff, pork, and money laundering schemes.  Address the problems on their own merit.  Pass the chip bill, if a climate bill is needed (it is not), pass it separately.

[Jess from VA]

So they get bill to support chip production in the US (good), then add billions of woke BS and communism to it (far from good).    

I've heard this song before.   It's called, never let a disaster go to waste. 

[JimC]

Thanks Serk, for explaining the drawbacks of this bill.

When I first read Savago's post I knew there was more to it than just passing that bill.

Why would we want anything with pork for the green new deal being the majority of the bill. Any bill that aids the green new deal, is also aimed at One World Order. You can say good by to your guns if that ever gets a foothold in this country.

I wish there was a way to introduce ONE bill at a time, so we can see what is there, and who votes for it, instead of these bullshit thousand page monsters. But unfortunately that makes too much sense.

Jim

[carolinarider09]

Thanks Serk, for explaining the drawbacks of this bill.

When I first read Savago's post I knew there was more to it than just passing that bill.

Why would we want anything with pork for the green new deal being the majority of the bill. Any bill that aids the green new deal, is also aimed at One World Order. You can say good by to your guns if that ever gets a foothold in this country.

I wish there was a way to introduce ONE bill at a time, so we can see what is there, and who votes for it, instead of these bullshit thousand page monsters. But unfortunately that makes too much sense.

Jim

There is a way to introduce one bill at a time.  However, those people we have in Washington D.C., those in power in the House and Senate, have an objective and its not to just help you and I. 

It is to help them.  Either to keep their place in the government or to add additional funds to their personal coffers. 

They, the congress, can easily introduce a single bill for this and a single bill for that but the "PORK" would be so obvious when presented as a single bill.

So, we, the people of the United States, the citizens, have allowed this to continue, we have not taken our representatives to task for thier complicity in the building of the "pork" empire.

I know I have digressed.   And I know I, personally, have failed to do what I needed to do to try and hold my personal representatives to task and account. 

I will try and do better.

[..]

Nothing this administration has done (by "this administration" I mean the Biden Administration with Biden as the figure head) has helped the people of the United States.    

Ask a B voter what 3 things he has done to improve their life. 

[Oss]

Line item veto   Even Bill Clinton wanted it

It is one way to strike all the pork from a bill


I must be getting more libertarian in my old age  less government is more for citizens

[Rams]

Unfortunately, this is what our leadership is all about.   Special interests are the standard.
While this may have been a wonderful bill prior to all the pork being added, I don't blame those who voted against it.   The vast majority of that pork could never get passed on it own.

Rams

[f6john]

I think anyone who supports this bill should not be looking at the partisan voting but at the author of the bill and the willingness to shuttle the bill by making it to unsavory to get a majority of support. Apparently the Congress as a whole doesn’t see the benefit of the compete bill as strongly as the OP.

Just my observation, yours may vary.

[carolinarider09]

Line item veto   Even Bill Clinton wanted it

It is one way to strike all the pork from a bill


I must be getting more libertarian in my old age  less government is more for citizens

Agreed!!!!!!  And that is why it will not pass unless we find some way to make our representatives work for us and not them. 

Only drawback is that the President could (if he was a jerk and an a.. h...) use the line item veto as a lever to get support for other stuff that he wanted but was unpalatable to the congress as a whole. 

But in general, I am all for it.  Get er done!!!!

[f6john]

I don’t think I care for the line item veto but I might could be persuaded otherwise. My solution is every bill would have only one item to consider, period. Then maybe we wouldn’t have majority leaders saying we have to pass the bill to find out what is in it!

[Rams]

I don’t think I care for the line item veto but I might could be persuaded otherwise. My solution is every bill would have only one item to consider, period. Then maybe we wouldn’t have majority leaders saying we have to pass the bill to find out what is in it!

This, I agree with.   Line Item works really well when my guy is in office, not so much when it's someone else.

Rams

[Jess from VA]

The hide the ball (and the pork) thousand page legislation bills must stop.  

So should the huge numbers of well paid staff (that we pay for) that create those bills.  

If you think about it, those bills probably violate a half dozen existing Federal laws like truth in lending or truth in advertising and RICO organized crime criminal enterprise laws.  Right off the bat, almost every bill name in recent history is an absolute lie.  Affordable Healthcare my ass. 

DOJ should get right on it.  

[luftkoph]

Any time they have a cute cuddly name for a bill my warning lights start to flash, think of that patriot act that Dick Cheney really pushed hard, what a pant load of civil rights violations that was, if they ever have a save the puppies bill you’d better run for the hills.

[carolinarider09]

The hide the ball (and the pork) thousand page legislation bills must stop.  

So should the huge numbers of well paid staff (that we pay for) that create those bills.  

If you think about it, those bills probably violate a half dozen existing Federal laws like truth in lending or truth in advertising and RICO organized crime criminal enterprise laws.  Right off the bat, almost every bill name in recent history is an absolute lie.  Affordable Healthcare my ass. 

DOJ should get right on it.  

Agreed !!!!!

[3fan4life]

I don’t think I care for the line item veto but I might could be persuaded otherwise. My solution is every bill would have only one item to consider, period. Then maybe we wouldn’t have majority leaders saying we have to pass the bill to find out what is in it!

I've always said that at least everything in the bill should be related.

If it's a transportation bill then everything in it should be transportation related.

A bill to build bridges shouldn't include anything about saving owls or paying for abortions.