U.S. Congressman: The America COMPETES Act Will Help Businesses, Workers

In November, President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law, unlocking money for transportation, broadband and clean water. 

The president made the case for his administration’s $1.75 trillion proposal that would promote climate policy and a social safety net. But that was put on hold because it could not win majority support in the Senate. 

In an opinion piece in The Hill, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the Make It In America measure was the culmination of a years-long process to initiate the repair, replacement or upgrading of critical infrastructure in the country.  

The plan has been focused on collecting the best ideas from both sides of the political aisle and turning them into policies to benefit American businesses and workers, he wrote. 

The bill prompts a surge of spending after years of attempts that sputtered out. 

See also: US Senate OKs $1T Infrastructure Bill, Includes Funds For EV Charging Network 

Now, he said, Congress is about to consider enactment of the remainder of that agenda with consideration of the America COMPETES Act of 2022. 

“It will strengthen our national security by shoring up our supply chains and ensuring that we can build in America the semiconductors and microchips that our industries need to lead the world in advanced manufacturing,” Hoyer wrote. 

He said the bill provides a chance to deliver bipartisan results because many of the ideas are the result of bipartisan collaboration. 

“Hopefully, the difference between the Senate and the House can be resolved quickly, as we did with the infrastructure law last year,” Hoyer wrote. “If we can do so, it will be a major victory for our country, for our economic competitiveness, and for the ability of all of our businesses and workers to Make It In America.”