Bipartisan Oregon Representatives Urge McCarthy to Avert Shutdown, Protect Oregon Chips Industry

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, U.S. House Representatives Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), delivered a bipartisan letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, urging him to avert a shutdown to protect Oregon’s semiconductor manufacturing industry.

“The CHIPS and Science Act has ignited a technological revolution – one that Oregon’s workers, business, entrepreneurs, and consumers will reap the benefits of,” the members write. “As members of Congress, we have been working with federal, state, and local partners to ensure the implementation of this law serves our communities. However, the prospect of a needless, costly government shutdown threatens to upend all that good work, putting Oregon’s status as a hub of innovation and progress in immediate peril.”

Semiconductor manufacturing is Oregon’s top manufacturing sector in terms of employment, exports, and contribution to the state’s gross domestic product. On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology about the consequences that a shutdown could have on the rollout of CHIPS and Science Act funding. In her testimony, Secretary Raimondo emphasized that even a brief shutdown would be “crushing.” Government funding is set to run out on September 30, 2023.

“A government shutdown would be an unforced error of the highest magnitude that would undermine the already tenuous credibility of this Congress and, worse still, inflict serious pain on Oregon’s economy,” the members continue. “As the September 30 deadline fast approaches, we urge you to seek a bipartisan, bicameral resolution that will ensure that our government remains open and operating for Oregonians and all Americans.”

Read the full letter below or click here:

Dear Speaker McCarthy,

As members of the Oregon delegation, we write to express our profound concern regarding the catastrophic impact that a government shutdown could have on America’s semiconductor manufacturing sector.

When President Biden signed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act into law last year, he

reversed a decades-old trend of offshoring critical manufacturing roles at the expense of the American worker. Now, thanks to this transformative legislation, federal and state incentives are paving the way for sweeping private investment in this crucial sector, which happens to be Oregon’s top manufacturing sector in terms of employment, exports, and contribution to our state’s gross domestic product.

Put simply, the CHIPS and Science Act has ignited a technological revolution – one that

Oregon’s workers, business, entrepreneurs, and consumers will reap the benefits of. As members of Congress, we have been working with federal, state, and local partners to ensure the implementation of this law serves our communities. However, the prospect of a needless, costly government shutdown threatens to upend all that good work, putting Oregon’s status as a hub of innovation and progress in immediate peril.

On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology about the consequences that a shutdown could have on the rollout of CHIPS and Science Act funding. In her testimony, Secretary Raimondo emphasized that even a brief shutdown would be “crushing” and significantly “hurt America’s national security,” by preventing federal agencies from investing in our semiconductor manufacturing sector and domestic supply chain.

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the disastrous ramifications of disinvesting in our domestic semiconductor manufacturing supply chain. Oregonians watched as new cars languished on lots, forced to wait months for the chips they rely on to function, all while prices for used cars went through the roof. We cannot afford to go back. A shutdown would interrupt American progress in research and development of critical emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, giving our competitors a leg up. It will erode trust from industry and researchers, spreading doubt that the United States is truly committed to leading the world in research and technology – a dangerous message to send to our international adversaries at a time of fierce global competition.

All told, a government shutdown would be an unforced error of the highest magnitude that would undermine the already tenuous credibility of this Congress and, worse still, inflict serious pain on Oregon’s economy. As the September 30 deadline fast approaches, we urge you to seek a bipartisan, bicameral resolution that will ensure that our government remains open and operating for Oregonians and all Americans.

Sincerely,

Members of Congress