Republican lawmakers rejected President Trump’s call during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday to repeal the “horrible” bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act and use any unspent funds to reduce the deficit. Republican senators argued that they’re willing to work with Trump to make some changes to the program, but said the money allocated to bolster chip production in the U.S. is critical to national security. They also point out the money has already been spent and there simply wouldn’t be the votes to repeal a law that passed the Senate and House with strong bipartisan majorities.
The dustup over the CHIPS and Science Act comes after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) Monday announcement that it will spend an additional $100 billion to build more semiconductors in the U.S. and the Trump Commerce Department’s termination of 42 probationary employees at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology hired to implement the CHIPS and Science Act.