This week, the House is taking up the America COMPETES Act, a legislative package that will accelerate the manufacturing of critical semiconductors, fix weaknesses in our supply chains, revitalize our research infrastructure to ensure that America remains a global leader in innovation and the technologies of the future, and secure our interests abroad by promoting economic development, diplomacy, and human rights. The America COMPETES Act drew from many of the key goals and policy recommendations of the Make It In America plan, accomplishing House Democrats’ goals of creating good-paying jobs, revitalizing domestic manufacturing, and strengthening the middle class.

This legislation will not only make our economy more competitive abroad but will also deliver economic opportunity to working families across America by creating good-paying manufacturing jobs and expanding access to STEM education and skills training.

The America COMPETES Act includes several bipartisan bills that expand America’s economic competitiveness and make education and skills training for critical manufacturing and technology sectors more accessible to American students and workers. Within the America COMPETES Act, there are at least 63 bills with Republican co-sponsors. Of those 63 bills, 29 of them have previously passed the House with a bipartisan vote, reflecting critical bipartisan priorities such as authorizing research and innovation programs at the Department of Energy, strengthening national security by examining cybersecurity vulnerabilities in mobile service networks, and making apprenticeships more accessible for America’s students. On average, 145 Republicans voted YEA on passing those 25 bills receiving a recorded vote in the House.

Here’s a look at the Republican-led legislation included in the America COMPETES Act:

H.R. 210, Rural Stem Education Research Act Introduced 1/5/21 by Rep. Frank Lucas (OK-03) Passed the House 5/18/21 with bipartisan support

Rep. Lucas’s legislation, which passed the House in May, would promote best practices for the access and use of online-based STEM courses, which are of critical importance for those living and working in rural communities.  Recognizing the challenge of reduced connectivity in rural areas due to lack of broadband internet access, this legislation would direct NIST to establish a prize competition to encourage innovation in technologies that provide high-speed internet access to underserved, rural parts of the country.  

H.R. 3146, SAVE Act of 2021 Introduced 5/12/21 by Rep. French Hill (AR-02) Passed the House 5/18/21 by voice vote

Rep. Hill’s legislation, which passed the House in May, would authorize the President to fund supply-chain security initiatives for medical materials manufacturers whose output is important to the national defense with Congressional oversight under the Defense Production Act of 1950, ensuring critical supply chains are protected against vulnerabilities.                                                                                          

H.R. 3003, Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2021

Introduced 5/4/21 by Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-07) Passed the House 7/20/21 with bipartisan support

Rep. Walberg’s legislation, which already passed the House in July, would direct the Commerce Department to help connect trusted businesses with organizations that set standards for wireless devices, telecommunications, and other wireless equipment.  This will help ensure that American businesses are operating with the safest and most reliable standards when it comes to wireless and telecommunications technology, which is critical for success in the twenty-first century economy.  

H.R. 4682, UAS Act Introduced 7/26/21 by Rep. Michael Guest (MS-03) Passed the House 9/29/21 by voice vote

Rep. Guest’s legislation, which passed the House in September, would require the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize the acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured in the United States or by U.S.-based companies.  It would specifically prohibit the Department from using unmanned aerial vehicles sourced from foreign companies based in countries viewed as posing a security risk.  

H.R. 4028, Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act Introduced 6/22/21 by Rep. Billy Long (MO-07) Passed the House 10/20/21 with bipartisan support

Rep. Long’s legislation, which passed the House in October, would help identify ways to strengthen America’s technological and innovation competitiveness by directing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to produce a report on information- and communications-technology supply chains and their challenges.  

H.R. 4055, American Cybersecurity Literacy Act Introduced 6/22/21 by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) Passed the House 12/1/21 with bipartisan support

Rep. Kinzinger’s bill, which passed the House late last year, would direct the NTIA to help Americans protect themselves against cyber-threats by promoting cybersecurity literacy and awareness of best practices for safety online.

H.R. 2622, Concerns Over Nations Funding University Campus Institutes in the United States Act or the CONFUCIUS Act Introduced 4/16/21 by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16)

Rep. Gonzalez’s bill addresses China's Confucius Institutes, which are directly or indirectly funded by the Chinese government and seek to influence post-secondary education in the United States and other countries.  It would set restrictions on federally funded U.S. post-secondary educational institutions that have established relationships with these Institutes.  Such restrictions would include protecting academic freedom, preventing the application of foreign Chinese laws on the U.S. campuses, and ensuring that the U.S.-based institutions have full control over the Institutes’ curricula, activities, research grants, and employment decisions. 

  H.R. 3858, National Science and Technology Strategy Act of 2021 Introduced 6/11/21 by Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06)

Rep. Waltz’s legislation would direct the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to undertake a quadrennial review of America’s science and technology landscape that provides policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers with data and analyses to help identify needs, opportunities, and challenges for U.S. science and technology.  It would also require the OSTP to develop a national science and technology strategy that makes recommendations on how to maintain U.S. leadership in science and technology, improving regional innovation, identifying future challenges, assessing global competition, and other priorities.

H.R. 4046, NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act Introduced 7/21/21 by Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03)

Rep. Duncan’s legislation would create an Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity within NTIA to enhance the federal government’s ability to analyze and publish data on the development and deployment of internet and communications technologies.  It would promote and advocate for policies that support innovation, competitiveness, consumer access, workforce development, economic growth, and digital inclusion in technology markets while providing guidance to the public and policymakers.  

H.R. 5265, To prohibit malign foreign talent recruitment programs, and for other purposes Introduced 9/14/21 by Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06)

This legislation introduced by Rep. Waltz would strengthen our national security by requiring that every federal research agency establish a process to ensure that individuals making research and development grant requests are not agents of foreign governments that may be seeking to undermine American competitiveness.  

H.R. 6309, the TEAMS Act Introduced 12/16/21 by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16)

Rep. Kinzinger’s legislation would require the Department of Commerce establish a strategy to counter threats and reduce vulnerabilities to supply chains while incentivizing domestic production of critical goods, reducing American reliance on foreign supply chains.           

  The America COMPETES Act also includes an extension of legislation originally introduced by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and enacted in late 2018:

Extension of H.R. 6688 form the 115th Congress, Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 Introduced 9/25/18 by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) Senate companion (S. 2736) passed the House 12/12/18 with bipartisan support, signed into law 12/31/18

The Senate companion to Leader McCarthy’s legislation, which was enacted into law in 2018, is reauthorized in the America COMPETES Act because of its critical role in demonstrating America’s commitment to the security and economic growth of the Indo-Pacific region.  Focused on defense cooperation with U.S. allies, on protecting human rights, on partnering with allies on cybersecurity, and on promoting people-to-people engagement, this legislation goes hand-in-hand with strengthening U.S. global leadership and American global economic competitiveness.

The America COMPETES Act includes numerous bipartisan priorities that will support our economic recovery and make our economy more competitive. Republicans ought to join Democrats in growing American competitiveness and jobs by voting to advance the America COMPETES Act.

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