WATCH: “Let’s Ensure The Next Century… is the American Century”: Senator Reverend Warnock Urges Senate to Quickly Pass Bipartisan Chips Legislation Critical to National Security, Georgia's Economy

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I rise today to urge my colleagues not to waste any more time in getting this important bill across the finish line. We should not allow politics to get in the way of the people’s work.”

Senator Reverend Warnock spoke today on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to quickly pass robust legislation to invest in domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, or chips, which are key components of countless goods, tied to thousands of good-paying jobs across Georgia

Senator Reverend Warnock laid out the economic liabilities of Congress delaying passage of the vital legislation, and highlighted several Georgia stories detailing the effects of the legislation on Georgia’s economy, business and workers

Senator Reverend Warnock also touted a provision he championed in the bill to extend tax incentives down the semiconductor supply chain, helping protect hundreds of forthcoming jobs at a Newton County plant

Senator Reverend Warnock shined a light on the urgent need to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing to lower rising costs for Georgia families and strengthening broken supply chains, and the imperative of investing in U.S. chip production to strengthen our national security, global competitiveness

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Our ability to rise to this occasion will demonstrate whether the United States is willing to cede the innovation and economic higher ground to the Chinese Communist Party—or, whether we will stand up to the People’s Republic of China and reinvest in the manufacturing and innovation prowess that has made America a lone superpower for decades”

*WATCH: Senator Reverend Warnock speaks on the vital importance of passing bipartisan legislation that will lower costs for Georgians*

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, urged his colleagues to move bipartisan chips legislation forward that is critical to America’s national security and Georgia’s economy. In a speech on the floor of the United States Senate, the Senator highlighted how the bill will lower costs for Georgia families by boosting chip manufacturing in the U.S., address broken supply chain to reduce the costs on everyday goods, and strengthen the nation’s security and global competitiveness.

“I cannot stress enough how critical it is for us to get this bill done—for our national security and to keep our economy competitive against global actors like the Chinese Communist Party, and to lower rising costs for hardworking families all across Georgia and all across our country,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.

During his floor speech, the Senator highlight Georgia companies who have been negatively impacted by semiconductor shortage, from major retailers like KIA to local broadband providers. The Senator underlined how he worked to secure a provision in the legislation that will extend federal tax incentives to other companies that help produce semiconductors; this will directly help protect jobs at SK Group’s forthcoming high-tech semiconductor plant being constructed in Newton County, which is expected to supply roughly 400 local jobs. Lastly, the Senator shined a spotlight on how the strengthening the U.S.’s domestic semiconductor output will help the nation compete against global actors like the Chinese Communist Party, which has increased chip production in recent years as the U.S. as fallen in its share of global chip manufacturing: in 1990, the U.S. produced 37% of the world’s chips, but as recently as 2020 that number as fallen to 12%.

For over a year, Senator Warnock has been a strong advocate for increasing American semiconductor manufacturing, recently pushing Senate leadership to put partisan politics aside and get the bipartisan jobs and competing bill past the finish line. Senator Warnock has worked tirelessly to strengthen chip manufacturing in the United States, including his leadership on to help prevent future chip shortages; the lack of domestic semiconductors has previously led to harmful work stoppages at Hyundai’s Kia plant in West Point, GA. The Senator successfully pushed for major domestic manufacturing investments in semiconductors at the federal level, a cause he has championed as a member of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Key excerpts from Senator Reverend Warnock’s floor remarks below:

“As a voice in the Senate for my home state of Georgia, I cannot stress enough how critical it is for us to get this bill done—for our national security and to keep our economy competitive against global actors like the Chinese Communist Party. And to lower rising costs for hardworking families all across Georgia and all across our country.”

“The chip shortage isn’t just hurting jobs and bottom lines—it’s hobbling our ability to expand rural broadband. And farmers all across Georgia will tell you that you can’t even farm efficiently without good broadband connection. And so this is devastating, especially for rural Georgians. And if we don’t act soon, it will get worse. We’ve got to ensure that all of our citizens can take full advantage of every opportunity in our changing economy. And this is a problem we can solve. We can solve it. The only thing that gets in the way of this right now is politics. And so, we’ve got to pass this bill.”

“If we produce more chips here at home, it would boost domestic manufacturing, ease supply chain issues, and help begin to lower rising costs for goods that families are experiencing in Georgia and around the country. Why wouldn’t we want to take steps to drive down costs for hardworking families right now? We work for them.”

“Lastly, this bill contains provisions I fought for that will expand these tax incentives to companies down the semiconductor supply chain, supporting economic engines like the high-tech semiconductor plant being built in Covington, Georgia that will create four hundred new jobs.”

“Chips are used in technology critical to our national security. According to a 2020 report from the Semiconductor Industry Association — listen: in 1990 the United States represented a 37 percent share of the world’s chip manufacturing capacity. Today that number is 12 percent. From 37 percent to 12 percent. I submit that that is unacceptable and is a threat to our national security.”

“Our ability to rise to this occasion will demonstrate whether the United States is willing to cede the innovation and economic higher ground to the Chinese Communist Party—or, whether we will stand up to the People’s Republic of China and reinvest in the manufacturing and innovation prowess that has made America a lone superpower for decades.”

Full transcript of Senator Reverend Warnock’s floor remarks below:

“Mr. President: As it turns out, I rise to echo the sentiments of my colleague, the distinguished Senator from the state of Illinois. The Senate is preparing to finally begin debating a targeted version of the jobs and competition bill that many of us have been working on for more than a year, and I rise today to urge my colleagues not to waste any more time in getting this important bill across the finish line. We should not allow politics to get in the way of the people’s work.

“Now, I know that there might be disappointment from some of my colleagues that we’re not able to pass the more robust package right now that we’ve been working on and negotiating since last April. And, honestly I share that disappointment.

“As both a member of the Commerce Committee, and a member of the committee that’s been negotiating the final competition bill, I have been working hard to secure several priorities for Georgia in that package. And I’m not about to going to stop fighting for those priorities. I’m going to keep fighting to get investments and policies, like funding for regional tech hubs, for STEM education — an education program that invests in all of our children, all of our young people — and workforce development passed into law.

“But let me be clear: passing a bill that will strengthen domestic production of one of our country’s most vital resources—semiconductors, or chips—is a crucial opportunity to invest in our economy, invest in our security, and our future. And we cannot wait another minute.

“I want to shine a spotlight on this, because I’ve heard from Georgians about the importance of this legislation, and specifically, investing in making more chips here in the United States.

“We know that chips are essential components in the products that support thousands of good-paying jobs in Georgia—not to mention things like cars, cell phones, computers, vacuum cleaners, ATMs chips are all around us, in a host of products we rely on every single day.

“And we know that our chips supply chains are under significant strain both from production limits, and geopolitical threats.

“But what you may not know is how these issues directly affect workers and companies on the ground all across the state of Georgia.

“Companies like KIA, which has a thriving facility out in West Point, Georgia—about halfway between Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama on I-85.

“Semiconductors are essential to the manufacturing of the roughly 340,000 vehicles KIA produces in Georgia every year.

“But at least twice in the past year, this facility, which I have visited on more than one occasion, has had to stop work at the plant because they didn’t have enough chips. They had to stop working not because they didn’t have enough customers, but because they didn’t have enough chips.

“I’ve visited that West Point facility and I’ve met with some of those workers. And I can tell you that the last thing those workers need is to miss days off work and money out of their paychecks because we don’t manufacture enough of the materials that they work with every single day.

“And it’s not just car manufacturers in Georgia. The chip shortage is hurting our state’s economy in myriad ways, big and small.

“For instance: Stephen Milner is the CEO of Planters Telephone Cooperative, a member-owned telecommunications provider in Screven County that does broadband expansion as well as broadband maintenance.

“Stephen’s company needs equipment to do that work that requires semiconductors, and as he explained recently in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, it has become harder to expand telephone and internet services to new businesses and homes in the rural communities he services because his company can’t guarantee it will get the parts needed to complete the job.

“And so, think about that: the chip shortage isn’t just hurting jobs and bottom lines—it’s hobbling our ability to expand rural broadband. And farmers all across Georgia will tell you that you can’t even farm efficiently without good broadband connection. And so this is devastating, especially for rural Georgians. And if we don’t act soon, it will get worse. We’ve got to ensure that all of our citizens can take full advantage of every opportunity in our changing economy. And this is a problem we can solve. We can solve it.

“The only thing that gets in the way of this right now is politics. And so, we’ve got to pass this bill.

“There are real economic consequences for people in my state if we do not pass this chips bill and make these investments. These are the human faces of the public policy that we would pass. But that’s not the only reason we need to get this bill done as urgently as possible.

“Mr. President, it also bears repeating that passing this legislation is critical to our national security and strengthening our competitiveness against global actors like the Chinese Communist Party.

“As we’ve heard from Defense Secretary Austin, Commerce Secretary Raimondo and other Administration officials: we are at a tipping point — a tipping point — where international companies are making significant decisions about where they’re investing their capital and putting down roots.

“In fact, we have already seen several of these entities hesitate to invest in American manufacturing due to inaction and political gamesmanship right here in Washington.

“And so Mr. President, our ability to rise to this occasion will demonstrate whether the United States is willing to cede the innovation and economic higher ground to the Chinese Communist Party—or, whether we will stand up to the People’s Republic of China and reinvest in the manufacturing and innovation prowess that has made America a lone superpower for decades.

“I submit that if we fail to pass this bill immediately, we will set back America’s competitiveness for a generation, or more.

“This critical moment requires all of us to put the country above politics. Imagine that — put the country above politics, and put hardworking American families who are doing the best they can right now above politics and strengthen our nation’s competitiveness.

“And so I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this strong chips legislation. Let’s ensure the next century, like the 20th century, is the American century.

“Mr. President, I yield the floor.”

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