Senate R&D bill to counter China shelved by GOP opposition
The Senate shelved a big innovation bill aimed at making the U.S. more competitive with China and other countries
May 28, 2021, 4:16 PM
6 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleSen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., an ally of former President Donald Trump, arrives as senators go to the chamber for votes ahead of the approaching Memorial Day recess, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 27, 2021. Senate Republicans are ready to deploy the filibuster to block a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, shattering chances for a bipartisan probe of the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and reviving pressure to do away with the procedural tactic that critics say has lost its purpose. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON -- A sweeping Senate bill aimed at making the United States more competitive with China and shoring up domestic computer chip manufacturing with $50 billion in emergency funds was abruptly shelved Friday after a handful of Republican senators orchestrated a last-minute attempt to halt it.
Votes on the American Innovation and Competition Act were postponed until June 8, when senators are scheduled to return from a weeklong Memorial Day recess.
The emerging final product has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support and would be one of the more comprehensive investments in U.S. research and development in recent years. But the bill became weighted down by the sheer scope of the effort. It swelled to more than 2,400 pages drawing, sharp opposition from a core group of GOP senators who kept the Senate in a nearly-all-night session as they insisted on more time to digest the bill and make changes.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set up the new schedule when it became clear the Republican senators would not relent.
"We have every intention of sticking it out until the job is done,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said as he opened the chamber Friday.
The bill is key to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plans, and is a massive effort to reinvest in innovative technologies as the country tries to bolster and rebuild home state industries that have shifted overseas during the era of globalization.
It’s also a test of whether the split 50-50 Senate can accomplish bipartisan achievements when there’s pressure on Democrats to change the rules to push past obstruction and gridlock.
Passage was still expected despite the GOP efforts to impede it.
A top Republican author, Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, characterized his underlying proposal that anchors the bill — the Endless Frontier Act he co-authored with Schumer — as part of the country’s history of innovation, like the moon landing or the launch of the internet, that Washington needs to foster if America is to remain competitive.
“It’s not about beating China,” Young said in a speech Thursday. He said it’s about rising to the challenge posed by China “to be a better version of ourselves.”
Senators slogged through days of debates and amendments, but proceedings came to a standstill late Thursday. One Republican, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, protested the rush to finish, and he and a few other Republican senators overtook the floor proceedings, insisting on more changes to the sprawling package as debate dragged well past midnight.
Opponents are unlikely to be able to halt the bill but were poised to run out the clock on the proceedings.
Earlier, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the Commerce Committee chairwoman managing the action for Democrats, reminded colleagues that the bill has been through lengthy committee hearings with input and changes from all sides.
“I actually think we have gotten more mindshare with people about why this is important, right, because we had an open debate process,” she had said.
Biden had included elements of the legislation as part of his big infrastructure plan, the American Jobs Act, making a similar case that the U.S. needs to increase its investments to stay competitive with rivals, particularly China.
During a virtual meeting with CEOs last month over the global computer chip shortage that has been disrupting supplies and sales of everyday goods -- from cellphones to new cars — Biden explained his plan to “build the infrastructure of today.”
Actually a collection of bills, the final package caused the opponents to hit the brakes.
