eight months ago. President Joe Biden urged
lawmakers to reach a deal quickly, saying,
“America can’t aford to wait.”
The nearly 3,000-page bill, not counting scores
of amendments added, includes massive
investments designed to boost semiconductor
manufacturing in the U.S. The big-ticket
items include about $52 billion in grants and
subsidies to help the semiconductor industry
and $45 billion to strengthen supply chains for
high-tech products.
But Democrats also tucked in other priorities
that have raised GOP concerns about the bill’s
cost and scope. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
was the only Republican to vote for the measure,
while Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida was the
only Democrat to vote against it.
The bill includes $8 billion for a fund that helps
developing countries adjust to climate change;
$3 billion for facilities to make the U.S. less
reliant on Chinese solar components; $4 billion
to help communities with signiicantly higher
unemployment than the national average; and
$10.5 billion for states to stockpile drugs and
medical equipment.
Democrats were in a celebratory mood prior
to the vote after the latest jobs report showed
employers added 467,000 jobs in January. They
said the legislation would lead to more good
news on that front.
“The bill we’re talking about today is a jobs bill,
a jobs bill for manufacturing in America, for
making it in America,” Pelosi said.
The bill gives Democrats a chance to address
voter concerns about the economy at a time
when a shortage of computer chips has led to
Image: Chu Baorui
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