US Senator Mark Warner urges passing bipartisan legislation to fund new semiconductor production in the United States

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement in response to reports that General Motors plans to halt production temporarily at nearly all North American plants due to the shortage of semiconductor chips:

“The continuing impact of the chip shortage – epitomized most recently in the news that GM will be forced to idle plants across North America – speaks to the urgency of passing bipartisan legislation to fund new semiconductor production in the United States. While the impact of this funding will not solve the global semiconductor shortage overnight, the longer we wait, the worse this supply chain crunch will become. I would urge my House colleagues to pass the legislation funding my bill as soon as possible.”

Sen. Warner, the co-chair of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus and former technology entrepreneur, has long sounded the alarm about the importance of investing in domestic semiconductor manufacturing. In June, he applauded the Senate passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act, bipartisan legislation that includes Warner-led provisions to shore up American leadership in the microelectronics industry.

The United States Innovation and Competition Act – also known by an earlier name, the Endless Frontier Act – would help invest in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, packaging and advanced research and development by investing $52 billion to implement the CHIPS for America Act, a bipartisan law championed by Sen. Warner to help restore semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil.