Rarely does a major spending bill in Washington draw bipartisan support and yield immediate results. Behold the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden Aug. 9. The act provides more than $52 billion in new funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the U.S.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 64-33 on July 27. It passed the House a day later by a vote of 243-187-1. Every senator who caucuses with the Democratic Party, except for Bernie Sanders of Vermont, voted in favor of the act. They were joined by 17 Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.