Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed the America COMPETES Act by a vote of 222-210:
“The America COMPETES Act lays the foundation to guarantee America leads the global economy, invests in American workers and manufacturing, and ensures that critical goods essential to our economy and national security are made right here in the United States.
“The bill invests in America to strengthen supply chains, bolster domestic semi-conductor manufacturing capacity, and expand the production of the components needed to build solar panels.
“The America COMPETES Act also includes my legislation to foster the development of advanced and continuous manufacturing technology to increase our ability to quickly produce prescription drugs. It also supports efforts to replenish and modernize strategic stockpiles of medical supplies to ensure we’re prepared for future public health emergencies.
“With passage of this legislation today, we are ensuring that America can outcompete the rest of the world by ending our reliance on other nations for the manufacturing of critical goods. We must now work with the Senate to quickly reconcile our bills into final legislation that can become law.”
The America COMPETES Act includes critical provisions from the Energy and Commerce Committee, including:
- $45 billion for grants, loans, and loan guarantees to support supply chain resilience and manufacturing of critical goods, industrial equipment, and manufacturing technology;
- $3 billion to fund the establishment of a domestic solar manufacturing supply chain;
- $375 million to reduce the vulnerability of the electric grid;
- $100 million to increase the domestic drug manufacturing base through the establishment of National Centers of Excellence in Advanced and Continuous Manufacturing;
- $1.5 billion to establish a medical supply chain flexibility manufacturing pilot program;
- $10.5 billion for a new grant program to states to expand or maintain a strategic stockpile of drugs, medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and other products; and
- $1.5 billion for the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund to fund innovative technologies in the U.S. mobile broadband market.
A fact sheet on the key Energy and Commerce Committee provisions of the America COMPETES Act is available HERE.
