ABOVE: The US Senate Chamber entrance.
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The Senate passed the US Innovation and Competitiveness Act—a massive science funding bill that aims to help the US compete with China technologically—on Tuesday (June 8) with a 68–32 vote. If the bill passes the House, it would provide $250 billion for research and help foster collaborations between academia and industry.
The act’s bipartisan support, with 48 Democrats, 19 Republicans, and one Independent voting in favor, reflects rising concerns about America’s dependence on China, reports The New York Times. “Either we can concede the mantle of global leadership to our adversaries or we can pave the way for another generation of American leadership,” says Democratic Senate majority leader and cosponsor of the legislation Chuck Schumer (D-NY), according to the Times. The paper calls the bill “the most significant government intervention in industrial policy in decades.”
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Government officials in China expressed “resolute opposition” to the bill, according to Reuters, adding that the bill’s passage indicates the US has a “paranoid delusion of wanting to be the only winner” and paints China as an “imaginary enemy.”
The bill moves on to the Democrat-controlled House, where its fate is uncertain. “I look forward to working with the House of Representatives on this important bipartisan legislation, and I look forward to signing it into law as soon as possible,” President Joe Biden says in a statement. “As other countries continue to invest in their own research and development, we cannot risk falling behind.”
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