A bipartisan group of national security officials urged Congress to swiftly pass legislation revitalizing domestic manufacturing so the United States can compete with China and the rest of the world in the 21st century, according to a March 21 U.S. Department of Commerce news release.
These officials offered a warning that the nation’s economic and national security will be at risk and vulnerable if the U.S. fails to boost its domestic manufacturing and semiconductor production, according to the release.
“Chips are essential components of our most vital and sensitive military equipment. Our overreliance on foreign manufacturers puts crucial elements of our national and economic security at risk,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. “Our competitors like China are racing to support their semiconductor industries, and they aren’t waiting for us to catch up. Every day we wait is a day we fall further behind.”
Raimondo, the security officials and some members of Congress warned that the economic resilience of the U.S. depends on the semiconductor manufacturing sector, the release said.
“At the Center for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, we strongly endorse rapid passage of the Bipartisan Innovation Act,” Bonnie Glick, former deputy administrator of USAID said. “The longer we delay, the more we leave open the door for the Chinese Communist Party to drive toward their Made in China 2025 goal.”
