Political Friendship in Swing States: An Analysis on the Bipartisan Legislation of the CHIPS and Science Act

Yuki Aihara, Meiji University

In August 2022, the Biden Administration enacted the CHIPS and Science act (CHIPS act). The CHIPS act is a federal government policy which incentivizes semiconductor firms based inside and outside U.S. to construct new factories or expand existing ones on U.S. soil. The act consists of grants, tax credits and loans, spending $280 billion in total. This study illustrates the bipartisan legislative process of the CHIPS act with focus on affirmative votes from Republicans. While CHIPS act is often described as a bipartisan legislation, only 24 representatives from Republican party voted in favor of one of the biggest expenditures in the history of the U.S. industrial policy. Why could the bill submitted by Democratic party gain support from 24 Republican representatives? This study investigates why limited number of Republicans supported the bill despite the Republic party’s general opposition to the CHIPS act. By visualizing from which states those republicans are, it highlights the significant impact of the CHIPS act on specific states. The bipartisan legislation symbolizes the urgent and persistent issue of unemployment in the Midwest. For instance, the state of Ohio accounts for 8 votes in favor of the bill from Republican representatives, showing that the swing state was the key to the passage of the CHIPS act. The bipartisan legislation of the CHIPS act indicates that the two major political parties are aware of the necessity of the revitalization of the industrial policy in a more visible manner than ever.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 213. American Politics in Transition: Economic Nationalism, Legal Battles, and Geopolitical Challenges