U.S. Senate Approves Biggest-Ever Investment in American Tech Innovation

Press Release

Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Chips and Science Act, a nearly $250 billion package of historic federal investments in American science and technology research, innovation and manufacturing led and negotiated by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

"We know that innovation is in the DNA of Americans. We know it's helped us win the world wars, it's helped us cure disease, it's helped create millions of jobs," Sen. Cantwell said. "We don't know exactly what innovations will come out of this, but we do know this: America will be more competitive because of it. And we do know this, that we will be able to grow our economy for the future, because of the investments that we've made today."

Sen. Cantwell, who serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, is a key architect of the bill's provisions. She led the conference committee, and over the past few weeks she helped rally a last-minute bipartisan push for keeping investments in science in the legislation. The Act passed the Senate by a 64-33 vote.

This historic $250 billion investment aims to make America safer and more prosperous. Here's how:

1) Protects U.S. Consumers, Industry, and our Armed Forces from Future Semiconductor Shortages:

The Act delivers $76 billion to develop the next generation of semiconductor technologies and to re-establish U.S. strengths in semiconductor manufacturing. Semiconductors are the oil of the 21st century -- they're found in a huge variety of products, from vehicles, medical devices, and cell phones to advanced national security technology. But only 12% of chips are manufactured in the United States, down from 37% in the 1990s.

Chips shortages have damaged U.S. manufacturing capabilities in the automotive sector, harmed American agriculture, and contributed to inflation. Even worse, advanced military systems do not work without trustworthy semiconductors. The U.S. cannot risk falling further behind.

2) Turns U.S.-Funded Innovations Into Products Faster:

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) new Technology Directorate will invest $20 billion over five years to support pioneering research in technology areas critical to U.S. economic and national security leadership.

The Directorate will help researchers and universities translate their innovations into patent-protected, market-ready products. These investments will help ensure that American innovation isn't co-opted by other nations, but is instead turned into products that can be made in America, benefitting American businesses and creating American jobs.

3) Funds Pioneering Research to Secure Energy Supplies and Help Cool Down the Planet:

The Act will increase funding for the Department of Energy's cutting-edge research, development, and deployment activities by $16.9 billion. This pioneering research is vital to America's energy security, and for discovering and testing new approaches to combat climate change.

Much of this work is performed by DOE's 17 National Laboratories, including the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) in Richland, which is one of the largest employers in Washington state.

The Act also includes an additional five-year, $50.3 billion reauthorization for the DOE Office of Science, supporting a broad range of range of basic science research programs in areas like quantum computing, artificial photosynthesis, coastal zone research, high energy physics, and climate and earth modeling.

4) Trains Hundreds of Thousands of New STEM Workers:

No amount of investment in research and technology can be successful without a strong American workforce. The Act therefore puts more than $13 billion into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development. By 2030, the U.S. is on track to have 3 million fewer technically-trained workers than we need. For the first time, Congress will direct the NSF to identify and address workforce needs across a range of ten critical fields, such as cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing, by issuing scholarships and traineeships.

The Act also directs nearly $2 billion to minority serving institutions (MSIs) and other emerging research institutions around the country, including Tribal colleges and universities, a major investment in institutions with a proven track record of helping grow a diverse workforce.

5) Turns More Towns into Tech Hubs:

The Act creates a new $10 billion Department of Commerce program to nurture locally-driven innovation regions and the good-paying jobs that come with them. Just five U.S. metro areas--Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and San Diego--accounted for 90 percent of growth in the innovation sectors between 2005 and 2017.

This program will encourage this growth across the country, creating new opportunities for other regions that are primed for technology leadership with the right investment. This program will create new collaborations between local governments, universities, labor, and the private sector to expand innovation capacity nationwide and accelerate the economic development that the nation needs to remain competitive.

6) Triples Support for American-Made Tech:

The Act triples funding, from $158M to $550M annually, for the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which supports small- and medium-sized manufacturers with cybersecurity, workforce training, and supply chain resiliency. Impact Washington, the MEP Center in Washington state, has helped create and retain 19,000 jobs since its founding in 1997.

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