We’ve only know about these problems since things started opening back up late in 2020. What’s the rush now, Nancy?
Pelosi says Congress could pass ‘transformational’ Competes Act before July 4
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Thursday that Congress could pass the “transformational” Competes Act before July 4, saying they hope to celebrate its passage before the holiday.
The Competes Act of 2022 would approve billions of dollars for programs to accelerate U.S. manufacturing of critical supplies and goods such as semiconductor chips, increasing U.S. might in sectors dominated largely by China.
The bill is also intended to address the supply chain disruptions still plaguing the nation, which have helped fuel high inflation.
At her weekly press conference, Pelosi said there is currently “a big lobbying effort” in Congress around the Competes Act, but she added she still hopes for passage of the bill before Independence Day.
“It’s a transformational bill for America that will make us independent, that will make us self-sufficient,” Pelosi said.
No rush.
The Competes Act first passed the House in February before a separate but similar piece of legislation was passed in the Senate in March. Congress is now trying to reconcile differences and marry the legislation together before sending it to President Biden’s desk.
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) said Congress held its first workshop on the Competes Act on May 12, promoting the bill on Twitter as a measure that will “fight inflation & lower costs.”
Meh, no rush, right? Actually, there is no rush, because it is bad legislation, but, the idea is to be able to tell citizens that the Democrats have Done Something
(Forbes) The House bill, while cutting billions in scientific research compared to the Senate-passed one, wades into liberal social and cultural agenda items and programs amid its 2,912 pages, and would add more energy, climate and environmental provisions and offices to govern it all to the federal Leviathan. Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi need to reconcile the differences.
The Republican Study Committee put together a seven-pager on the House Democrats’ bill, noting provisions going far beyond boosting international competition and instead advancing Biden’s climate extremism, including implementing the Paris Climate Treaty, paying out climate change foreign aid, authorizing the military to response to climate crisis, and more spending on clean energy and solar.
But wait, there’s more: Reason‘s Elizabeth Nolan Brown notes that the bill also addresses “Chinese fentanyl production, e-commerce platform liability, misinformation in foreign media, global wildlife trafficking, legal conventions in Pacific Island nations, Arctic mammal rescue capabilities, coral research, and the origins of the COVID-19 virus,” [kudos on the latter] plus the likes of banning shark fin sales and “promoting the consumption of certain types of seafood.
How about just dealing with the chips shortage, increase competition, end lots of the anti-trust legislation? That would make too much sense. Hence why all Republicans voted against it. Democrats really just want to say “Republicans do not want to help.” Sadly, the GOP is bad on fighting back with their messaging.
Read: Pelosi Might Maybe Push Bill To Accelerate Production Of Supplies And Goods By July 4th »