The bipartisan bill to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing and boost U.S. competitiveness with China has cleared a key Senate vote this morning 64-32, setting it up for final passage in the upper chamber in the coming days. The cloture vote to break the legislative filibuster was originally set for Monday evening but had to be postponed until Tuesday morning after severe thunderstorms on the East Coast disrupted some senators’ travel plans. The package, known as “CHIPS-plus,” includes roughly $52 billion in funding for U.S. companies producing computer chips and a provision that offers a tax credit for investment in chip manufacturing. It also provides funding to spur the innovation and development of other U.S. technologies. If it passes the Senate, as expected, the House will then take up the legislation. Supporters of the bill hope Congress will pass it and send it to President Joe Biden for his signature before the August Senate recess which begins next Friday.
Today, the Senate will also resume consideration of the Message accompanying S.3373, the legislative vehicle for the Honoring Our PACT Act to make needed technical corrections, which will provide hundreds of billions of dollars to help military veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their service.
With just nine legislative days left before August recess, a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the Senate Democratic Caucus is making the schedule even more precarious with at least four senators announcing they have COVID-19 in recent days and at least two are expected to miss votes this week: Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Senators Tom Carper (D-Delaware) and Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) announced positive tests late last week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-New York) plan to pass prescription drug reform before the August recess could be derailed if any of his Democratic colleagues test positive next week as any Democratic absences may postpone action on the budget reconciliation bill, which Democrats hope to take up next week to lower prescription drug costs and extend Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies.
In addition to prescription drug reform, the Senate has a long list of items it would like to complete before recess, much of which will slip to September: including a bill to protect same-sex marriage, confirm 77 judicial vacancies, including seven appellate court and 66 district court openings, legislation to crack down on Big Tech monopolies, a resolution ratifying Sweden’s and Finland’s accession to NATO, several treaties including The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, a bipartisan bill to cap insulin costs, the annual defense authorization bill, the Water Resources Development Act and a bill sponsored by Senator Joe Manchin and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to update the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to clarify that the vice president does not have sole authority to determine or adjudicate disputes over electors when Congress convenes in a joint session every four years to certify the results of the presidential election.
The House will convene at 2:00 P.M. with first votes at 6:30 P.M. and is expected to consider the Rule Providing for Consideration of H.R. 6929 – Susan Muffley Act of 2022, H.R. 3771 – South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2022, and H.R. 5118 – Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act.
The House may also consider up to 27 bills under suspension of the Rules.
Adam S. Olsen, Washington, D.C.
