Senator Reverend Warnock Urges House to Pass Bipartisan Legislation to Create Jobs, Boost Manufacturing and Innovation in Georgia

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, urged the House of Representatives to pass the America COMPETES Act, companion legislation to the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) championed by the Senator last spring. In the letter, Senator Warnock highlighted for the House leaders how impactful the legislation will be for Georgia and the urgency in getting it passed. Specifically, Senator Warnock emphasized in the letter how the jobs and competition bill would: bolster support for Georgia's growing tech and manufacturing industries--including electric vehicle company Rivian's Atlanta-area plant and West Point's Kia facility--to support and create jobs; ease supply chain issues by funding and promoting domestic semiconductor production; strengthen the pathway to good-paying jobs by supporting STEM workforce development and diversity through investments in Georgia's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) like Morehouse School of Medicine and Fort Valley State University; and create regional hubs for entrepreneurship and innovation at renowned research institutions like Georgia Tech and throughout the state.

"Our country stands at a pivotal moment as Congress acts to make historic investments in science and technology, in creating and supporting American jobs, and in securing our nation's economic future," Senator Reverend Warnock wrote in his letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. "As we work to turn the corner on this once-in-a-century pandemic, one of the most important things Congress can do is make sure workers, employers, and communities in our states have adequate resources to continue pushing our economy forward."

"I was proud to champion the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S. 1260) to make exactly these investments, and I urge the House to expeditiously move forward with the America COMPETES Act to boost American competitiveness globally and to create generations of stable, high-paying jobs for working families in Georgia and across the country," Senator Reverend Warnock continued. "The America COMPETES Act will increase resiliency to America's supply chains, decrease the reliance on other countries for our critical industries, maintain our nation's status as the world leader in advanced technology, and increase the amount of scientific research done in the United States--helping lead to innovative technologies that will spur job creation here at home. That is how we create jobs that lift workers and communities up and keep America on the cutting edge."

Since coming to the Senate in January 2021, Senator Warnock has been a vocal advocate for strengthening federal investments to create jobs in Georgia and keep the state's economy moving forward--including pushing hard for passage of UISCA. In June, Senator Reverend Warnock traveled across Georgia to speak with manufacturing leaders and workers, and underscore his work on the federal level to support job creation, research and development funding, and domestic production of semiconductors. The Senator's stops included a visit to the KIA Factory in West Point, Georgia, which was forced to shut down production for two days due to a shortage of semiconductors. Senator Reverend Warnock has helped lead the effort to increase semiconductor production in the U.S., and secured a bipartisan provision in the Senate's USICA bill to prioritize semiconductors in the U.S. supply chain. Additionally, Senator Reverend Warnock authored and fought to include a provision in USICA that will help create jobs in Georgia by spurring innovations in science and technology.

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