Three Casten Amendments Pass House as Part of COMPETES Act
(Washington, DC) – Today, three Casten amendments passed the House as part of the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength Act of 2022. The America COMPETES Act makes historic investments to surge production of American-made semiconductors, tackles supply chain vulnerabilities to make more goods in America, bolsters America's scientific research and technological leadership, and strengthens America's economic and national security at home and abroad. Importantly, the America COMPETES Act of 2022 includes bipartisan House Science legislation in COMPETES, designed to ensure the Department of Energy Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and National Institute of Standards and Technology are well-equipped to succeed in the 21st century.
The first of Casten's amendments, which he led with Reps. Foster, Gonzalez and Meijer, is the National Nuclear University Research Infrastructure Reinvestment Act of 2021. This would enhance the research capabilities of nuclear science and engineering programs, meet the workforce needs of the U.S. nuclear industry, and accelerate the development of advanced nuclear technologies in Illinois and across the country.
The second of Casten's amendments, which he led with Reps. Wild, Gallagher, and Cheney, directs the Department of State to develop international security standards with other U.S. ally countries to protect research in key research areas from adversaries. It aims to emphasize a pro-diplomacy approach to protecting sensitive research—focused on both Chinese and Russian espionage.
The third of Casten's amendments enables alternative financing to accelerate maintenance and general infrastructure projects at the Department of Energy National Laboratories.
"The United States has been a long-time leader in science and innovation," said Rep. Sean Casten. "The passage of the America COMPETES Act is a historic investment in our future and ensures the United States remains competitive as a leader in innovation and technology for years to come. I'm incredibly proud to see three of my amendments pass as part of the COMPETES Act, all of which further America's competitiveness in science and engineering. With this legislation we will strengthen our STEM workforce, make investments to fight the climate crisis, reinforce our national security, enhance our semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, and more."
"We appreciate the leadership of Rep. Casten and Foster and the other sponsors of the National Nuclear University Research Infrastructure Reinvestment Act of 2021 and are glad to see the bill advance as part of the America COMPETES Act," said Rizwan Uddin, Head of the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "Improving existing research infrastructure and developing new advanced research reactor capabilities will help nuclear engineering programs to continue developing the workforce for a clean energy future."
Further background:
Disinvestment in American-made products contributed to the severe supply chain disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic. Pandemic supply chain bottlenecks were magnified by the long-running decline in domestic manufacturing capacity that could have otherwise supplemented international production.
Manufacturing has long been a core strength of the American economy, but increasing global competition?has threatened many high-quality manufacturing jobs. Since?January?2000, the United States has lost?over a quarter of?all?domestic?manufacturing jobs, a decline of over 4.7 million.
As the manufacturing sector?has shrunk, so?has?access to economic security for?many?working-class?families. Jobs that do not require a college degree?have increasingly?shifted to the service industry, where the pay is lower, hours are more uncertain and collective bargaining is much weaker.?
Investments in infrastructure, domestic manufacturing of green technologies and innovation are needed to bolster American manufacturing. Together, the America COMPETES Act, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and Build Back Better will make historic investments to help American industries remain competitive, preserve high-quality jobs and spur economic growth.
# # #