The Building Chips in America Act has just passed the House with 257 in favor and 125 opposed and is now slated to go to the President's desk. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Colin Allred (D-TX), will accelerate the environmental regulatory process and avoid unnecessary delays for domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing projects.
Rep. McCaul's bill expands upon the original CHIPS Act passed in 2022, which sought to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States by hastening and streamlining the environmental reviews conducted via the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) so new projects can be built more quickly.
"I introduced the CHIPS for America Act because — as President Trump’s national security team told me — there’s no time to waste in boosting domestic semiconductor chip production. The Building Chips in America Act will cement the intention of the CHIPS Act by ensuring timely production of these critical national security assets, creating thousands of American manufacturing jobs in the process. I am proud the House passed this crucial bill, which will solidify the United States’ global leadership in the semiconductor industry," said Rep. McCaul.
The United States has depended on China for much of its semiconductor and computer chip sales, with 40% of sales going to America's adversary.
178 Republicans and 79 Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while 13 Republicans and 112 Democrats voted against it. Among those voting in favor:
- Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL)
- Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL)
- Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL)
- Representative Cory Mills (R-FL)
- Representative Daniel Webster (R-FL)
- Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
- Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL)
- Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL)
- Representative Greg Steube (R-FL)
- Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL)
- Representative Brian Mast (R-FL)
- Representative Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL)
- Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)
- Representative Darren Soto (D-FL)
- Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
- Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ)
- Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ)
- Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ)
- Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)
- Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX)
- Representative Colin Allred (D-TX)
- Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)
- Representative Jake Ellzey (R-TX)
- Representative Wesley Hunt (R-TX)
- Representative Chip Roy (R-TX)
- Representative Beth Van Duyne (R-TX)
The majority of votes against the bill come from Democrats, although some Republicans opposed the bill:
- Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL)
- Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL)
- Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL)
- Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
- Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX)
- Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
- Representative Veronica Escobar (D-TX)
