It’s Wednesday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 08/09/2023:
| 11:00 AM Presidential Daily Brief | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing (9:00 AM Local) Albuquerque, NM Closed Press |
| 12:00 PM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time (10:00 AM Local) Albuquerque, NM Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:00 PM “Bidenomics” Remarks | The President delivers remarks on how Bidenomics and his Investing in America agenda are unleashing a clean energy and manufacturing boom just one year after the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act were signed into law (1:00 PM Local) Arcosa Wind Towers, Belen, NM Open Press |
| 4:55 PM Leaves Albuquerque, New Mexico | The President departs Albuquerque, New Mexico en route to Salt Lake City, Utah (2:55 PM Local) Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, NM Out-of-Town Pool |
| 6:30 PM Arrives in Salt Lake City, Utah | The President arrives in Salt Lake City, Utah (4:30 PM Local) Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, Salt Lake City, UT Open Press |
“Bidenomics”/CHIPS and Science Act Turn’s 1 Tweets
From Tuesday…
From Wednesday…
From the White House.
Companies have announced $166 billion in investments in semiconductors and electronics in the one year since President Biden signed CHIPS into law
One year ago, President Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), which makes a nearly $53 billion investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and workforce. The law also creates a 25 percent tax credit for capital investments in semiconductor manufacturing, and is helping to keep America at the forefront of innovation and technological development. Semiconductors were invented in the United States, but today we produce only about 10 percent of global supply—and none of the most advanced chips. Similarly, investments in research and development have fallen to less than 1 percent of GDP from 2 percent in the mid-1960s at the peak of the space race. The CHIPS and Science Act aims to change this by driving American competitiveness, making American supply chains more resilient, and supporting our national security and access to key technologies.
White House.gov. 08/09/2023.
In the one year since CHIPS was signed into law, companies have announced over $166 billion in manufacturing in semiconductors and electronics, and at least 50 community colleges in 19 states have announced new or expanded programming to help American workers access good-paying jobs in the semiconductor industry. In total, since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, companies have announced over $231 billion in commitments in semiconductor and electronics investments in the United States. This week alone, the Department of Commerce announced the first round of grants under CHIPS to support the development of open and interoperable wireless networks, and the National Science Foundation and Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Defense announced progress toward establishing the National Semiconductor Technology Center, which will help advance America’s leadership in semiconductor research and development.
One Year of Progress on Semiconductor Manufacturing and Innovation
Over the past year, agencies across the federal government have been developing and executing on programs established under CHIPS to encourage domestic semiconductor manufacturing, invest in research and development, and support supply chain resilience and workforce development. Key milestones in the Administration’s implementation of CHIPS include:
Supporting U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing
- The Department of Commerce launched the first funding opportunity for the $39 billion in semiconductor manufacturing incentives provided in the Act just six months after CHIPS was passed. This funding opportunity covers funding for projects to construct, expand, or modernize facilities producing semiconductors and for projects that are making large investments in facilities to produce semiconductor materials and manufacturing equipment. As the Department assesses applications, economic and national security considerations will be key factors and the program will, among other objectives, aim to provide a supply of secure, national-security relevant semiconductors.
- Already, the Department of Commerce has received more than 460 statements of interest from companies for projects across 42 states interested in receiving CHIPS funding to invest across the semiconductor value chain from manufacturing to supply chains to commercial R&D.
- The Department of Commerce has also stood up CHIPS for America, a team of more than 140 people working to support implementation of all aspects of the CHIPS incentives program.
- The Department of the Treasury released a proposed rule in March 2023 to provide guidance on the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit, a 25% investment tax credit for companies engaged in semiconductor manufacturing and producing semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The Department of the Treasury also released a proposed rule in June 2023 to allow companies to receive the full amount of the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit as a direct payment from the Internal Revenue Service.
- The Department of the Treasury released a proposed rule in March 2023 to provide guidance on implementing the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit to assist companies engaged in semiconductor manufacturing and producing semiconductor manufacturing equipment with a 25% tax credit.
Protecting National Security and Working with Allies and Partners
- The Department of Commerce issued a proposed rule in March 2023 to implement the national security guardrails laid out in CHIPS. These guardrails are intended to prevent technology and innovation funded by the program from being misused by foreign countries of concern. The Department of the Treasury’s proposed rule in March 2023 implemented parallel guardrails for the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit.
- The Department of State announced in March 2023 its plans for implementing the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund to support semiconductor supply chain security and diversification, as well as adoption of trustworthy and secure telecommunications networks. The State Department has already announced partnerships with Costa Rica, Panama, and the OECD to explore opportunities to collaborate on the global semiconductor supply chain.
- The Department of Defense and Department of Commerce signed an agreement to expand their collaboration to make sure that CHIPS investments will position the United States to manufacture semiconductors essential to national security and defense programs.
- As it implements CHIPS, the Department of Commerce has been in close touch with a number of partners and allies including the Republic of Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, India, and the European Union. The United States is engaging with partners and allies to coordinate government incentive programs, build resilient cross-border semiconductor supply chains, promote knowledge exchange and collaboration in developing next-generation technologies, and implement safeguards to protect national security.
Creating Jobs and Workforce Pipelines for American Workers
- The White House announced an initial set of five Workforce Hubs to create pipelines for Americans to access good-paying jobs in the semiconductor industry and other industries seeing an increase in investments driven by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda – including CHIPS, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The White House also announced a national Workforce Sprint focused on creating pipelines into advanced manufacturing jobs, including in the semiconductor industry.
- At least 50 community colleges have already announced new or expanded semiconductor workforce programs. In July, the White House launched its first Workforce Hub in Columbus, Ohio, where Columbus State Community College announced a new partnership with Intel which will create a new semiconductor technician credentialing course, available this fall.
- The National Science Foundation is investing in the American semiconductor workforce through new initiatives focused on the manufacturing workforce, supporting researchers, and curriculum development. This includes partnerships with major semiconductor and technology companies.
- According to Handshake, student applications to full-time jobs posted by semiconductor companies were up 79% in 2022-2023, compared to just 19% for other industries.
Investing in Innovation
- The Department of Commerce is partnering with the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation to establish the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), a critical part of the CHIPS research and development program that will support U.S. leadership in semiconductor innovation, cut down on the time and cost of commercializing new technologies, and develop the semiconductor workforce. The Department of Commerce has also outlined its strategy for the NSTC with respect to extending U.S. leadership in semiconductor innovation, reducing time to commercialization, and building a strong microelectronics workforce.
- The Department of Commerce is also continuing to work on other parts of its $11 billion R&D funding including the metrology program, the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, and up to three new Manufacturing USA Institutes.
- The Department of Defense released a Request for Solutions for its Microelectronics Commons R&D program in December 2022. This program will support hardware prototyping, the transition of new technologies from lab-to-fab, and workforce training. Source selection is currently underway.
Supporting Regional Economic Development and Innovation
- The Department of Commerce released a funding opportunity in May 2023 for Phase 1 of the $500 million Tech Hubs Program. This is an economic development program to develop centers of innovation across the country through support of regional manufacturing, commercialization, and deployment of key technologies.
- The Department of Commerce released a funding opportunity in June 2023 for Phase 1 of the $200 million Recompete Pilot Program, an initiative to support economic opportunity and create good jobs in persistently distressed communities.
- The National Science Foundation established a new Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. This Directorate has already launched the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, which is helping to support innovation in geographies that have not received the full benefits of technology advancement in past decades. In May 2023, NSF announced 44 NSF Engines Development Awards spanning 46 U.S. states and territories, each funded at up to $1 million over two years to plan for a future NSF Engine. In August 2023, NSF announced 16 finalists for the inaugural set of NSF Engines awards, which are anticipated by the end of the year and will provide each NSF Engine with up to $160 million over up to 10 years.
Support Wireless Innovation and Security
- This week, the Department of Commerce announced its first round of grants from its $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund to support the development of open and interoperable wireless networks.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the One Year Anniversary of the CHIPS and Science Act (08/09/2023):
One year ago today, I signed into law the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act to revitalize American leadership in semiconductors, strengthen our supply chains, protect our national security, and advance American competitiveness.
America invented semiconductors – and today, they power everything from cell phones to cars to refrigerators. But over time, the United States went from producing nearly 40% of the world’s chips to just over 10%, making our economy vulnerable to global supply chain disruptions.
The CHIPS and Science Act aims to change that.
In the year since I signed this legislation into law, companies have announced over $166 billion to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States. These investments are creating jobs and opportunities in communities across the country – from Ohio to Arizona, Texas and New York. And, in the last year alone, at least 50 community colleges have announced new or expanded programs to help American workers access good-paying jobs in the semiconductor industry.
The CHIPS and Science Act is a key part of my Bidenomics agenda to bring investment and opportunity to every corner of the country. Over the coming months, my Administration will continue to implement this historic law, make sure American union workers, small businesses, and families benefit from investments spurred by the CHIPS and Science Act, and make America once again a leader in semiconductor manufacturing and less dependent on other countries for our electronics or clean energy supply chains.
White House.gov. 08/09/2023.
His remarks are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. D.C., time.
Conservation Tweets
From Tuesday…
From Wednesday…
The YouTube is 17 minutes and 32 seconds long. His full remarks can be found here.
My first week as president, I signed an executive order establishing our country’s most ambitious con- — conservation goal ever. I made a commitment that we will protect 30 percent of all our nation’s lands and waters — conserve all — 30 percent of all our nation’s lands and waters by 2030. And we’re on our way. And we’re delivering. (Applause.)
In just my first year in office, we’ve done more — protected more lands than any — than anyone since the 1960s — John Kennedy’s era: 9 million acres in Alaska, in Bristol Bay and the Tongass Forest; 225,000 acres in Minnesota, the Boundary Waters.
[snip]
Today marks an historic step in preserving the majesty of this place. First among American landmarks. Sacred to Tribal Nations. Revered by every American. It speaks to the soul of our nation. It reminds us of who we are.
[snip]
And folks, it’s not hyber- — hyperbole to suggest that there is no national treasure — none that is grander than the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon, one of the Earth’s nine wonders — wonders of the world, literally. Think of that. You know, it’s amazing. An enduring symbol of America to the entire world.
The first time I saw the Grand Canyon, years ago, I was a young senator. As I stood there and looked out, a phrase came to mind. It was instinctive. I said this must be — this is God’s cathedral. That’s what it reminded me of. It just is so magnificent. As a matter of fact — I said nine — it’s one of the seven wonders of the world.
And so, today, I’m proud to use my authority under the Antiquities Act to protect 1 — almost 1 million acres of public land around Grand Canyon National Park as a new national monument — (applause) — to help right the wrongs of the past and conserve this land of ancestral footprints for all future generations.
[snip]
Folks, our nation’s history is etched in our people and in our lands.
Today’s action is going to protect and preserve that history along with these high plateaus and deep canyons, majestic red cliffs over 300 million years old — older than the — the oldest dinosaur ever known; central to the creation stories of so many Tribal people and so many Tribal nations; fundamental to who we are, to their way of life, to their most sacred ceremonies. Ancestors are buried here, eternal sources of reverence and healing.
[snip]
America’s natural wonders are our nation’s heart and soul. That’s not hyperbole; that’s a fact. They unite us. They inspire us. A birthright we pass down from generation to generation.
[snip: video clip is 1 minute and 7 seconds long.]
Over the years, hundreds of millions of people have traveled to the Grand Canyon, awed — awed by its ma- — majesty. But fewer are aware of its full history.
From time immemorial, more than a dozen Tribal nations have lived, gathered, prayed on these lands. But some 100 years ago, they were forced out.
That very act of preserving the Grand Canyon as a national park was used to deny Indigenous people full access to their homelands — to the places where they hunted, gathered; to precious, sacred ancestral sites.
They fought for decades to be able to return to these lands, to protect these lands from mining and development, to clear them of contamination, to preserve their shared legacy for future generations.
I made a commitment as president to prioritize respect for the Tribal sovereignty and self-determination, to honor the solemn promises the United States made to Tribal nations to fulfill federal trust and treaty obligations. I’ve pledged to keep using all that available authority — (applause) — to protect sacred Tribal lands.
My administration has worked alongside Tribal leaders, including many of you who are here today, to keep that promise.
White House.gov. 08/08/2023.
From the White House…
A Proclamation on Establishment of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument (08/08/2023)…
It’s too long to post in full…
Ohio Turned Out to Vote Tweet
From Tuesday…
Show More =’s decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.
Ohio held a special election on Tuesday with only one measure on the ballot.
The Columbus Dispatch has the best breakdown of Ohio Issue 1 that I found.
If passed, it would have:
- Required 60% of voters to pass a new constitutional amendment, instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one.
- Required citizens who want to place an amendment on the ballot to collect signatures from at least 5% of voters from the last gubernatorial election in all 88 counties, instead of the current 44.
- Eliminated a 10-day cure period that allows citizens to replace any signatures deemed faulty by the secretary of state’s office.
State Issue 1 failed according to liveresults.ohiosos.gov (the Ohio Secretary of States Website):
AP News explained: While abortion was not directly on the special election ballot, the result marks the latest setback for Republicans in a conservative-leaning state who favor imposing tough restrictions on the procedure. Ohio Republicans placed the question on the summer ballot in hopes of undercutting the citizen initiative that voters will decide in November that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state.
There is also this snip from the AP: Interest in Tuesday’s special election was intense, even after Republicans ignored their own law that took effect earlier this year to place the question before voters in August. Voters cast nearly 700,000 early in-person and mail ballots ahead of Tuesday’s final day of voting, more than double the number of advance votes in a typical primary election. Early turnout was especially heavy in the Democratic-leaning counties surrounding Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.
President Biden’s full statement:
Today, Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the state’s constitutional amendment process. This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.
White House.gov. 08/08/2023.
My takeaway for what it’s worth.
Republicans should be nervous. While this was not a national race or even a race for a person. This hasn’t happened in a vacuum either. We are seeing turnout increase to vote against R’s and R’s wants in several states R’s must win to have a chance to regain the White House.
And it wasn’t “stollen” or “rigged” or whatever the hell other lame excuse the R’s come up with.
Another snip from AP explains that; Voter opposition to the proposal was widespread, even spreading into traditionally Republican territory. In fact, in early returns, support for the measure fell far short of former President Donald Trump’s performance during the 2020 election in nearly every county.
So, like with a lot of things, it wasn’t one party that sunk the measure it was widespread “voters” turning out to vote.
And if this turns out to be accurate…
Well, the R’s have a serious youth problem, not countered by R’s moves to limit college voter access to vote…
2022 World Series Champions Tweet
From Wednesday…
The video clip is 34 seconds long.
Remarks by President Biden Honoring the 2022 World Series Champions, the Houston Astros (08/07/2023):
Welcome, guys. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. And I want to welcome to the White House the 2022 World Series Champions, the Houston Astros. (Applause.)
[snip]
The Houston Astros: legends of Space City. (Applause.) The legends of Space City.
[snip]
Yes, sports is about winning. But it’s a lot more than that. At best, it lifts people up, it brings them together, it helps them be there for each other.
White House.gov. 08/07/2023.
This is an Open Thread.
