A bipartisan group of Senate and House lawmakers wrote a letter to President Biden urging him to prioritize funding for semiconductor research and development and manufacturing at federal agencies as his administration works on a budget proposal for fiscal year 2022.
The lawmakers called on the Biden administration to fund the programs authorized in the CHIPS for America Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021 to help address the semiconductor shortage facing auto manufacturers, consumer technology and other industries.
They said the U.S. government should consider the CHIPS provisions as a national security priority and work with allies and strategic partners to outdo China in semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.
“Finally, should you explore executive actions to address this urgent semiconductor matter, we encourage you to continue pursuing a technology-neutral approach,” the April 12th letter reads.
President Biden joined a virtual meeting with CEOs from auto and technology companies on Monday and highlighted the need for the U.S. to invest in its semiconductor infrastructure to address the current chip shortage.
