- March 23, 2022
PHOTO: Sen. Kelly and Intel CEO Discuss Progress on Kelly-Shaped Bill to Boost Manufacturing Jobs
Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly met with Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger in his Washington, D.C. office to discuss Intel’s continued investments in Arizona jobs and innovation and how the Kelly-shaped bill passed by the Senate last year will support Arizona’s economy, strengthen supply chains, and reduce the United States’ reliance on adversaries for critical microchip technology.
The bill, which includes the Kelly-negotiated plan to boost domestic microchip manufacturing, would fuel job growth in Arizona and support Intel’s creation of two new fabs which are expected to create thousands of jobs.
“From rising costs to delays in parts for things like cars, we’ve seen this microchip shortage impact Arizonans and businesses across our state. I am grateful to Intel’s continued investment in Arizona and their support for our legislation which will create thousands of high-paying jobs, lower costs, and reduce our country’s dependence on adversaries for technology that’s critical to our supply chains and national defense. I’ll continue working to push leaders of both parties to get our bill over the finish line,” said Senator Kelly, original cosponsor of the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act.
“We are on a mission to rebalance global chip capacity and appreciate Senator Kelly’s leadership in Congress to get the CHIPS for America Act funded to level the playing field and make investment in the U.S. more competitive,” said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. “Last year, we were honored to give Senator Kelly a first-hand look into Intel’s most advanced fab. Since then, we have broken ground on two new fabs in Arizona, a $20 billion investment bringing 3,000 additional high-tech jobs to the state.”
Arizona is home to one of the largest microchip industries in the country and is poised to grow with investment plans from Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Their meeting comes on the heels of the Senate taking procedural steps this week to move forward the Kelly-negotiated $52 billion plan that will be critical to boosting Arizona’s position as a leader in microchip manufacturing.
Recently, Kelly led a group of 142 colleagues calling on congressional leaders of both parties to quickly act on his plan that will also tackle supply chain shortages. Over the last few months, Kelly successfully worked with House leaders to ensure his plan and additional provisions to address supply chain issues were maintained in legislation passed by the House earlier this year.
Kelly is an original cosponsor of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and one of the lead-negotiators on provisions that ensure the U.S. can outcompete foreign competitors, including China, who are investing heavily to dominate the microchip industry.
