House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on the House floor as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the third State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., March 7, 2024 Address speech.
Sean Hugh | Reuters
Vice President Kamala Harris Criticism of House Speaker Saturday Mike Johnson as suggestions Republicans might try to repeal CHIPS and the Science Act He has since tried to walk back those remarks if they win Congress.
“I also want to address the recent comments made by the speaker of the House,” Harris told a group of reporters in Milwaukee. “This is further evidence of everything I’ve been saying for months, which is that (former President Donald) Trump intends to implement 2025 Plan.”
“We’ve discussed many times that they want to get rid of Affordable Care Act. Repeal the CHIPS Act now,” she added.
Louisiana Republican Speaker Johnson made the remarks Friday at a campaign event in New York for Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.). One of the most closely watched House races this election cycle is faring poorly.
“I expect we may do that, but we haven’t set out that part of the agenda yet,” Johnson said in response to a reporter’s question about whether Republicans would try to repeal the law.
The CHIPS Act passed Congress in 2022 with bipartisan support. The federal government has announced more than US$30 billion investment According to the law since August.
Harris has turned manufacturing investment into one of the central pillars of her economic platform.
“My plan and intention is to continue to invest in American manufacturing, the work American workers do to preserve and advance good union jobs,” Harris said in Milwaukee. “This is how we win in the 21st century competing with China. way.”
Trump: ‘The chip deal was terrible’
Johnson’s comments follow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who attacked the CHIPS Act in an interview with Joe Rogan on October 25.
In the interview, Trump accused Taiwan of stealing “our chip business” and called for tariffs on imported semiconductors.
“This chip deal is terrible,” Trump said. “We’re investing billions of dollars and letting wealthy companies come in and borrow money to build chip companies here, but no matter what, they’re not going to give us good companies.”
Rep. Williams’ congressional district welcomes potential economic growth on the horizon Micron Semiconductor manufacturing plants, sponsored by the CHIPS Act.
“The CHIPS Act has a huge impact here,” Williams said after Johnson’s comments about a delicate cleanup effort. The New York congressman also issued a statement on Friday saying Johnson was “deeply sorry” for the mistake and said “he misheard the question.”
Democrats only need four more House seats to wrest the gavel from Republicans in the next Congress. Polling so far shows the House race is essentially a coin toss.
Johnson has been trying to do further damage control since his comments on Friday, saying after a campaign event that repeal of the CHIPS Act was not on the Republican agenda.
Still, Democrats are slamming the gaffe just days before the Nov. 5 election.
“The Republican speaker of the House just told the thousands of construction workers building New York and America’s future that they want pink slips sent to them as soon as possible,” New York Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in an article on Friday wrote. postal on the X platform.
