Federal law could help Texas semiconductor plants get built faster

ROUND ROCK, Texas — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R Texas) was in Central Texas on Thursday, taking part in a roundtable on the future of semiconductor plants in the state. Semiconductor chips are used in electronic devices – everything from the cars we drive to our cellphones to the screen you're reading right now.

Chips are largely produced overseas and there is a shortage, something experts say creates a national security concern. In 2022, Congress passed the CHIPS for America Act , allocating billions of dollars to build chip manufacturing plants. But Sen. Cruz said environmental regulations are delaying construction of those plants by years.

He co authored a bill to streamline the process. It passed the Senate but is held up in the House. "With other manufacturing issues, there's not the urgency of time," said Sen. Cruz. "There's not the vulnerability that we have from a national security matter and from an economic matter that we have with semiconductors.

It really is a unique vulnerability, and it's part of why we've been able to get bipartisan agreement, because this is endangering Americans." Sen. Cruz told KVUE he doesn't think there is one person or thing holding up his bill in the House and he's confident it will pass this year.

Sen. Cruz voted against the CHIPS Act. On Thursday, he doubled down on his position, saying he still doesn't believe the federal government giving billions of taxpayer dollars to private companies is the best approach. But he added now that the act is law, lawmakers have a responsibility to ensure that money is used efficiently.

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