What Vice President-elect JD Vance has said about the CHIPS Act and Intel in Ohio
NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WCMH) – Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is set to become vice president for Donald Trump’s second term in January. Where does he stand on the CHIPS Act?
The CHIPS and Science Act is slotted to provide around $52 billion in incentives for U.S. semiconductor chip makers, including Intel, which was promised billions in funds. Intel planned to use the funding in part to support construction of a new computer chip facility near New Albany, a highly-anticipated project transforming parts of Licking County and central Ohio.
However, Intel still has not received the funding amid layoffs, restructuring and diminishing stock value. The delay is increasingly difficult for Intel as Trump’s presidential term nears, with Trump calling the act “so bad” and indicating he will impose tariffs to encourage American production instead of continuing the legislation. On Nov. 1, Speaker Mike Johnson said “we probably will” repeal the act that was expected to add $2.8 billion to Ohio’s annual gross state product, according to Gov. Mike DeWine. Johnson later walked the statement back.
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Vance, 40, was selected as Trump’s running mate two years into his first term as a Senator, a position that DeWine is currently considering replacements for. A former venture capitalist executive, Vance expressed support for Intel’s plant and the CHIPS act before becoming Trump’s vice presidential pick. According to a release from Columbus Region, Vance celebrated in March 2024 when Biden announced billions in funding to Intel.
“Today’s CHIPS announcement isn’t just great news for Intel. It’s a well-deserved victory for Ohio and Ohio workers,” Vance said of the announcement, per the release. “Our state is playing a central role in revitalizing the critical industries that were developed here in America but lost to decades of offshoring.”
Amid delays in July 2022, Vance told Axios that “the death of the CHIPS Act is a terrible indictment of our do-nothing leadership.” He blamed Democrats for “tanking” the act and said the stalled legislation may have cost Ohio thousands of jobs.
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On the campaign trail, Vance responded to a CHIPS Act question from reporters and said Trump believes in returning manufacturing to America, specifying “that includes semiconductors” like those made by Intel. He did not specifically say if he was for or against continuing the Act, accusing Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden of politicizing funding for manufacturers under the program.
Vance has said this before. In October 2023, Vance spoke on the CHIPS Act at a Senate Commerce Committee meeting where he raised concerns about mandated diversity hiring policies in the act. The Act has over a dozen sections aimed at supporting minority groups, including requirements for companies seeking CHIPS funding to present plans for combating discrimination and diversifying recruitment.
Amid questions of the Act’s survival, businesses in Ohio and three other states wrote to Biden requesting his administration make the federal funding under the CHIPS Act available in the next 30 days. Of the 18 organizations behind the letter, 11 were Ohioan organizations, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
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