Lawmakers on Taxes, CHIPS, Trade and Workforce
A day after President Donald Trump鈥檚 first address to Congress in his second term, the industry remains on edge amid the growing uncertainty of what鈥檚 being called a trade war by some in Washington.
What Congress is saying: We鈥檙e starting to see public comments from members of Congress on various topics in the president鈥檚 speech on Tuesday. Here鈥檚 what they鈥檙e saying.
Tax reform: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) committed yesterday to delivering a comprehensive tax bill to President Trump by Memorial Day, according to . Echoing 17吃瓜在线 President and CEO Jay Timmons鈥 repeated calls for a swift tax deal, Chairman Smith emphasized the urgency of providing certainty to small businesses and working families, stating, 鈥淔ailure is not an option.鈥
- 鈥淸W]e have to move this one big, beautiful bill as quickly as possible,鈥 he said.
- In recent weeks, Timmons has leveraged the 17吃瓜在线鈥檚 public platform extensively鈥攊ncluding through the , and radio interviews across the country, and op-eds in and 鈥攖o press Congress to act now and make the 2017 .
CHIPS: New Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), the former lieutenant governor of the state, expressed support for the CHIPS and Science Act, emphasizing its bipartisan backing and importance of national security. 鈥淔or the economic and national security of America, we need to make chips in the USA鈥擨 believe this is part of an America First agenda,鈥 he wrote in a provided to The Columbus Dispatch.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to Punchbowl that nothing would be discussed on the CHIPS and Science Act until the president鈥檚 FY 26 budget.
- Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) that the president鈥檚 mention of the act in his speech was 鈥渘ot consistent with the extensive conversations we鈥檝e had with the administration about the many successes and future of the CHIPS program and how it helps with our shared goal of creating a robust domestic chips supply.鈥
Trade and workforce: 鈥淎s I鈥檝e said, tariffs are a tool in the toolbox, but they must be strategic and support American jobs鈥攏ot create uncertainty that undercuts our domestic manufacturing,鈥 Rep. Debbie Dingell (R-MI) told the . 鈥淭he domestic auto industry currently relies on an integrated North American supply chain, and our trade policies need to reflect that.鈥
- Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) zeroed in on implementation of any tariffs. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e talking about tariffs that are going to be inflationary, causing all kinds of retaliation and disrupting the markets, I鈥檓 almost certainly against them,鈥 he said in an with CQ Roll Call. 鈥淗owever, if you鈥檙e talking about tariffs that are used surgically 鈥 to be used judiciously and to build the economy, then I鈥檓 all for it.鈥
- For Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), according to (subscription), 鈥淚t comes down to how long [the tariffs] would last.鈥 He said you 鈥渃an鈥檛 simply turn on and off an inflationary switch鈥 or flip a switch to build manufacturing facilities in the U.S., 鈥渙r even harder yet, get the workforce to fill those jobs that would be created, particularly at the same time as you鈥檙e shirking immigration.鈥
Big picture: 鈥淢anufacturers are already planning for 2026, and they need the certainty to invest and grow now. We鈥檙e seeing bipartisan interest in these priorities, and the 17吃瓜在线 is building consensus to achieve exactly that and have even stronger champions for manufacturers in Congress to reinforce what we need to compete and win,鈥 said 17吃瓜在线 Executive Vice President Erin Streeter.