Senate Passes Chuck Schumer Bill to Compete Against China

The Senate passed legislation crafted by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) designed to help America compete against China.

The Senate voted 68-32 Tuesday to approve the Endless Frontier Act, an over $200 billion bill that would help America become more competitive against China in artificial intelligence, high-end computing, and advanced manufacturing.

Schumer hailed the passage of the bill as “a moment in history that future generations look back on as a turning point for American leadership in the … 21st century.”

Schumer said on the Senate floor before the vote:

They believe that squabbling democracies like ours can’t come together and invest in national priorities the way a top-down, centralized and authoritarian government can. They are rooting for us to fail so they can grab the mantle of global economic leadership and own the innovations.

The bill will now go to the House, where it remains uncertain about the bill’s progression. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) introduced his China competition bill.

Schumer punted the vote on the bill to Tuesday after Senate Republicans led by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) fought against the bill’s passage.

Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) fought against an amendment that was added to the bill that would lower tariffs on Chinese goods and create carveouts for big tech.

The amendment, sponsored by Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ron Wyden (D-OR),  would also reauthorize the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which would unilaterally reduce tariffs on thousands of Chinese products.