Portman makes bipartisan plea to help U.S. preserve its competitive manufacturing edge

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) joined a home-state colleague to urge fast passage of a bipartisan bill that would invest in American manufacturing and address the global semiconductor shortage impacting auto manufacturing. 

Sen. Portman and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who both co-chair the Senate Auto Caucus, sent a Jan. 7 letter to leaders in both chambers of Congress urging swift passage of the revised U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) of 2021, S. 1260.

“The USICA contains a number of provisions which will benefit Ohio, such as funding for the CHIPS for America Act and investments in research and manufacturing programs,” the senators wrote. “We believe that the time and effort spent on the USICA should not be wasted, and Congress should work together to send this legislation with an amended trade title to the president’s desk without delay.”

S. 1260, which was introduced in April 2021 by bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and lead original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), would address U.S. technology and communications, foreign relations and national security, domestic manufacturing, education, trade, and other matters. Among numerous provisions, S. 1260 would provide funding for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to support U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and supply chain security, according to the congressional record bill summary.

Following substantial amendments, S. 1260 received Senate approval in June 2021 by a 68-32 vote. In their letter, Sens. Portman and Brown applauded the bill’s inclusion of $52 billion in federal investments for the domestic semiconductor research, design and manufacturing provisions in the CHIPS for America Act, which was part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. 

“In light of the far-reaching consequences for our nation’s economy and national security, there is bipartisan consensus in favor of funding the CHIPS for America Act to catalyze new semiconductor investments in the United States,” wrote the senators. “We should move quickly to ensconce that consensus in law.”

The senators also noted that S. 1260 contains several provisions designed to support innovation that could strengthen Ohio’s manufacturing base broadly; would increase funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) at the U.S. Commerce Department — which in turn would help expand Ohio’s network of MEPs; and would fund R&D and early career research.

However, despite these pluses, the senators pointed out that S. 1260 does not include any provisions to strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws, which they said comprise the nation’s first defense against unfair foreign economic practices and offshoring, especially against non-market actors like China.

“Fortunately, we have developed a bipartisan, bicameral proposal to give the U.S. government new tools to respond to the creative ways in which China targets our industrial base,” they wrote, urging congressional leaders to include their bipartisan Eliminating Global Market Distortions to Protect American Jobs Act of 2021, also known as the Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0, to any compromise for S. 1260.

S. 1187, which Sens. Portman and Brown introduced in April 2021, would establish the new concept of “successive investigations” to improve the effectiveness of the U.S. trade remedy system in responding to repeat offenders, thereby helping to level the playing field for American workers. U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Bill Johnson (R-OH) in December 2021 introduced companion legislation, H.R. 6121, in their chamber.

“We strongly support the inclusion of this bill in USICA to ensure our Ohio industries and manufacturing companies are not lost to unfair trade practices,” Sens. Portman and Brown wrote. “With the inclusion of Leveling the Playing Field 2.0, we believe the investments in this bill have the potential to transform Ohio’s economy.”