Vice President Kamala Harris ripped into House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday after he said Republicans might repeal the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act if they take control of Congress in the upcoming election.
President Joe Biden signed the bill into law in 2022 but Johnson said he’d support a repeal of the bill if the Republicans hold onto the House of Representatives, according to a video posted by a local journalist. After his comments began circulating, Johnson issued a statement saying he misheard the question and wants to “streamline and improve” the bill.
“As I have further explained and clarified, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal,” he said. “To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill — to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements.”
“I also want to speak to the comments that have been recently made by the speaker of the House,” Harris told reporters in Milwaukee. “It is just further evidence of everything that I’ve actually been talking about for months now, about [former President Donald] Trump’s intention to implement Project 2025.”
“Let’s be clear about why he walked it back: Because it’s not popular, and their agenda is not popular,” Harris added. “It is my plan and intention to continue to invest in American manufacturing, the work being done by American workers upholding and lifting up good union jobs.”
Johnson’s comments found himself in controversy for the second time this week after he said there would be “no Obamacare” if Trump won the White House, which prompted the former president’s campaign to release their own statement to say repealing the Affordable Care Act is not on Trump’s agenda should he win the White House.
Biden addressed Johnson’s comment during a campaign event in Philadelphia, saying, “Trump and Republicans want to get rid of the CHIPS and Science Act.”
“I worked like hell to get that done. I wrote that sucker,” he added.
The CHIPS Act saw $280 billion in new funding to boost domestic research and the manufacturing of semiconductors and chips.
