Rep. Kinzinger Statement on the America COMPETES Act

Statement

After the House voted to pass H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) released the following statement:

"The United States must take action to improve competitiveness, secure our supply chains, foster innovation, and confront China and other adversaries. Such action is long overdue, and as such, I voted to support the America COMPETES Act. Members of Congress can and will disagree about the best ways to address these challenges, but one thing is certain: we must act quickly, strategically, and boldly if we are to succeed. I'm proud that my office was able to negotiate and secure major policy priorities in the final bill, which ultimately included more than a half-dozen initiatives that I've spearheaded over the last few years.
"The bill also included funding for the CHIPS Act, which will be pivotal in shoring up our domestic semiconductor industry. The automotive industry, including the Stellantis factory in my district in Belvidere, has been hit particularly hard by the chip shortage. Thankfully, this bill also includes set-aside money for legacy chips, which are used in thousands of consumer products including autos, farm equipment, appliances, computers, and more.
"Make no mistake--the House legislation is far from ideal. Several provisions included here are ones that I strongly oppose, while other provisions were largely toothless. But it's vitally important that we move this process forward and begin negotiations with the Senate. There is now a monumental and relatively rare opportunity at hand to take the best bipartisan provisions from both Chambers and produce something strong and meaningful to bolster our national security and economic security for a generation. I look forward to continuing this important work in the coming weeks."
In support of Congressman Kinzinger's vote, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo released this statement:
"I applaud Congressman Kinzinger for his leadership in co-authoring the critical supply chain resiliency program title included in the America COMPETES Act and for his vote. Securing American supply chains is critical to our economic and national security. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed alarming vulnerabilities in how Americans build and obtain goods. I look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Kinzinger to get his bill--and a negotiated legislative package--to the President's desk. Every day we wait is another day Americans remain vulnerable to supply shocks that threaten our economic and national security."

BACKGROUND: Within the America COMPETES Act, there are a number of provisions that Rep. Kinzinger spearheaded, including:

H.R. 5492, the Manufacturing Economy And National Security (MEANS) Act, which will, among other things, forge a unified national effort--spanning all levels of government, in partnership with industry, academia, and the workforce--to secure critical supply chains, bolster manufacturing sectors, and create jobs. || More information can be found here.
Rep. Kinzinger was also the lead Republican sponsor and negotiator on three additional supply chain bills which represented the bulk of the rest of the Supply Chain Resilience subtitle of the package. Those bills include:
o H.R. 5479, the Supply Chain Health and Integrity for the Nation Act

o H.R. 5495, the Building Resilient Supply Chains Act

o H.R. 5505, the Supply Chain Security and Resilience Act

H.R. 4055, the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act, which would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency within the Commerce Department, to establish a cybersecurity literacy campaign to increase knowledge and awareness of cybersecurity risks among the American public, including best practices for preventing cyberattacks.
H.R. 2685, the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act, which would require the NTIA to submit to Congress a comprehensive report examining the cybersecurity of legacy wireless networks and vulnerabilities to cyberattacks and surveillance by adversaries.
Section 30219A of the America COMPETES Act also extends the authorization of the State Department's Global Engagement Center, which Rep. Kinzinger established in 2016 through his bill, H.R. 5181, the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, which was signed into law as part of the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

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