House passes China bills, setting up potential Senate clash
The House passed two pieces of legislation Monday boosting scientific research in an effort to make the US more competitive with China — but the move paves the way for potential conflict with the Senate’s bipartisan Beijing bill.
The National Science Foundation for the Future Act passed 345-67, while the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act passed 351-68.
Both pieces of legislation provide funding to multiple government agencies that finance and conduct scientific research.
But rather than go directly to the Senate, it is not clear what fate the legislation will face next, as the House opted not to take up a bill passed earlier this month by the upper chamber of Congress.
That bill, the US Innovation and Competition Act, passed 68-32, a veto-proof majority.
It comes with the backing of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who have spent years crafting the legislation.
At the heart of Schumer’s bill is a $50 billion emergency allotment to the Commerce Department to boost semiconductor development and manufacturing through research and incentive programs previously authorized by Congress.
The funding is a response to America’s share of global semiconductor manufacturing dropping from 37 percent in 1990 to about 12 percent now, as well as a chip shortage that has exposed vulnerabilities in the US supply chain.
House lawmakers, however, have been critical of it, specifically the large number of provisions in the bill. They have also pointed to their differences in funding for certain agencies as another sticking point, arguing the House bills provide more money over more time.
House lawmakers have also been more focused on research and development, as opposed to the Senate bill’s attention to addressing Beijing’s global dominance.
As a result, the body has moved forward with its own set of bills.
Going forward, both chambers of Congress will likely be forced to set up a conference committee to hash out the differences between the bills, though one had not been announced as of Tuesday.
No lawmakers commented on the next steps in their statements, instead focusing on the importance of competing with Beijing.
“We must significantly boost funding for science. For years, we have allowed millions of dollars of excellent research go unfunded,” said House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas).
“We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history and we need to be more focused on the role of science in our society.”
“It is critical that we strike the correct balance between keeping our research enterprise open but also from protecting it from adversaries who seek to take advantage of our open system,” said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.).
President Biden said in a statement Monday that he was “heartened” by news of the House bills passing, adding his administration “looks forward to continuing to work with the House and the Senate in producing a final bill I can sign.”