Transcript of Speaker Pelosi’s Remarks at Press Event Ahead of House Passage of America COMPETES Act of 2022

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks at a press event with Committee Chairs ahead of the House passage of the America COMPETES Act of 2022. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Good morning, everyone. And, it is a very good morning. Not only because of the wonderful legislation, the masterful legislation, that is on the Floor as we speak here and that we will vote on in another hour or so – but, we also celebrate 467,000 jobs created last month.

We salute President Biden for his great leadership. We salute the private sector for its job creation and working together. And – an adjustment from the month before which makes it seven – over 700,000 new jobs. So we're very excited about that because this bill that we're talking about today is a jobs bill, a jobs bill for manufacturing in America, making it in America.

And, I also just want to say that, coincidentally, the Olympics opened this morning in Beijing. I would wish our athletes well. We salute the President for the diplomatic boycott that has been joined by other countries and the approach that I support. I – as I say, as I wish the athletes well, I do not encourage them to speak out against the Chinese government there, because I fear for their safety if they do. I'll remove all doubt about why I said they shouldn't speak out: because I fear for their safety. So, I hope they're safe athletically, politically and every other way.

Now that we're expecting a few more Members – Chairs. But, here we are under the leadership of our Chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson – and the respect she commands in the scientific community and the academic community and her great intellect on this subject that has all taken us to this day.

The America COMPETES Act will ensure that America's pre-eminence in manufacturing, innovation and economic strength, and can outcompete any nation. We are blessed by the leadership of eleven other committees, eleven other committees working very hard to put forth policies, initiatives that were innovative, entrepreneurial and, as we go into conference, become law.

I want to salute Chairman Peter DeFazio, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Frank Pallone, Chair of Energy and Commerce; Richie Neal, the Chairman of Ways and Means; Maxine Waters, Financial Services; Bobby Scott, Education and Labor; Bennie Thompson, Homeland Security; Gregory Meeks, Foreign Affairs; and also Jerry Nadler from Judiciary; Carolyn Maloney from Oversight; and Raúl Grijalva from Natural Resources. Because of the hearings and the meetings and the negotiations that they had within their committees, hundreds of Members of Congress have been involved in putting this legislation together. Overwhelmingly bipartisan in its development – regardless of how the Republicans choose politically to vote today – substantively, policy-wise and our Chairs will speak to that.

COMPETES meets the economic and national security imperative of bolstering American manufacturing and workers.

First, with the CHIPS, an investment of $52 billion to support U.S. manufacture of chips and semiconductors, which are the lifeblood of modern technology. I ask this question: do you know how many chips are in a car? One thousands chips in a car. In an electric car, 2,000 chips. So, just think of what this is going to mean to the automotive industry when we have domestic, made-in-America chips, readily available – and not be at the mercy of other countries. The chips are increasingly made abroad, leaving us vulnerable to supply chain issues and higher costs. It's really important to know that this bill, this investment will lower cost.

Secondly, the supply chain and manufacturing – we have $45 billion – support the manufacture and acquisition of critical goods that are essential for our national economy, our national security — and that includes components and products for public health and biological preparedness. It includes information and technology – communications technology. It includes energy and transportation sectors, industrial base, and agriculture and food products supply chains. So, this affects just about everything – lowering costs.

Third, science and research, again, with the reputation of our distinguished Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, and research and academic community will – with bipartisan bills, we will be advancing U.S. scientific research and innovation excellence to ensure that we lead the technologies of the future.

This is so important because, years ago, there was no question we were number one. And, then people followed our lead, investments in education and research and development, and then they had lower labor costs. So, jobs exited. You may remember – well, maybe not many of you, because you're younger – but, a number of years ago, when I was relatively new in Congress, we had the ‘gathering storm.' That call to action from the scientific community – that there was a ‘gathering storm' of, of competition overseas and that we needed to do better and do more. And, we are.

Fourth, leading on the world stage, we are positioning U.S. interests and values, and values, to win the world arena, including holding the People's Republic of China accountable for genocide and using slave labor. This is not just a values issue in terms of human rights; this is a competition issue, making our workers in our country compete with slave labor in China. Again, as the Olympics begin today, I reiterate my concern about – and I fear for the physical safety of those who may speak out. I do want, as I said yesterday at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing on the situation – I applaud President Biden, as I did already.

I just want to also add that, in our country, we are blessed with a magnificent – and, I can speak firsthand about this representing San Francisco in the Congress – the Asian Pacific American community is a vital part of our community. We are talking about American pre-eminence as we contrast with China. We don't want anyone transferring any of that, as some have done, including the former President, onto Asian Americans in our country.

We're proud of COMPETES. We're proud of our Members. We're proud to – we look forward to expeditiously going to conference and hope to hear from the Senate soon.

And, now I'm pleased to yield to our very distinguished Chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson.

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Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank all of our Chairs who presented today, as well as three Members who couldn't be here: Chairman Nadler of the Judiciary Committee; Congresswoman Maloney, Chairwoman of the Oversight Committee; and Chair Grijalva of Natural Resources – all who also contributed to the excellence and success of this legislation.

I feel like repeating everything you've heard, but that would be presumptuous of me. But, it – whether it's the education of our children, the competitiveness of our workers, the resources that we need, our Chairs have put it up there – very thoughtful proposals on how to keep America number one.

Let me just close by saying this, because of what they have done and the work they've done in their committees – largely and overwhelmingly bipartisan, regardless of the vote. It is about making America independent, self-sufficient. Self-sufficient when it comes to chips. So that we can be manufacturing more efficiently in our country. Lowering costs. Self-sufficient when it comes to the supply chain, so that we're not depending on other countries, at the mercy or vulnerable to other – and sometimes countries of concern. Lowering costs. So we're raising our excellence, lowering our costs, enabling our people to participate more fully in the success and prosperity of our nation.

And, it would not be possible without the great intellectual resource that Eddie Bernice [Johnson] is, the leadership of all of our Chairs, the work of so many on both sides of the aisle to make that possible. We're now going to go to the Floor and shortly vote to make America independent, self-sufficient and again, successful.

With that, I thank you all for being with us and yield back. Thank you.