President Biden visited an IBM facility in Poughkeepsie Thursday to tout the CHIPS and Science Act he signed earlier this year. The Democrat’s visit comes weeks before the key November midterms.
After a tour of the Poughkeepsie facility, President Biden spoke in an IBM warehouse where banners reading “Made in America” and “USA” were hung from tall shelves.
On a stage before a crowd of IBM employees and invited local officials, the president framed the CHIPS Act – which funnels billions of dollars into semiconductor manufacturing and research and development – as a vital investment in the global economic race.
“We're at an inflection point in world history, where the changes are going to take place in the next 10 are going to fundamentally alter the way in which we look at the world and our place in the world. And that's not hyperbole, it's real. And we are better positioned than any nation in the world to own the second quarter of the 21st century,” said Biden.
The CHIPS Act is another in a string of legislative victories for the president, along with the bipartisan infrastructure law, the American Rescue Plan Act, and Inflation Reduction Act.
“Just since we've been elected, we've created 678,000 new manufacturing jobs and we're just getting started. Where is it written that we can't lead manufacturing in the world? I don't know where that's written,” said Biden.
IBM CEO Armind Krishna announced the company will invest $20 billion in the Hudson Valley over the next decade.
“This investment includes breakthroughs in semiconductor technology, mainframe computers, quantum computers, and artificial intelligence. All of this will boost economic activity and create jobs, in addition to supporting the 7,500 jobs in the Hudson Valley and 11,000 jobs across the state,” said Krishna.
Also appearing on stage Thursday were New York Governor Kathy Hochul, recently sworn-in 19th District Congressman Pat Ryan, and 18th District Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, all Democrats.
In addition to IBM’s investments, the officials celebrated this week’s announcement that high-tech company Micron had chosen the Syracuse area to invest $100 billion to build a new factory. GlobalFoundries, headquartered in Saratoga County, is seeking to build a second fab in Malta with the help of CHIPS Act funding.
Maloney, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, credited his party with making critical investments in the last two years in Washington, with narrow control.
“Here's the way I see it. We have taken on the hard job of fixing the problems that the other side seeks to exploit for their own power and their own political gain. So that's why we provided hundreds of billions of dollars for our infrastructure. That's why we ended the pandemic with the Rescue Plan that helped thousands of local communities and small businesses,” said Maloney.
Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro was among invited local officials. Molinaro, who is running for New York’s new 19th House District seat, said he supports the CHIPS Act.
“I want investment. I think we do need to compete with China for chip fab, chip development. And quite frankly, the Hudson Valley and right out to Binghamton and the Southern Tier can be a pipeline for these high-tech jobs,” said Molinaro.
But the Republican also said the president needs to do more to address inflation and rising crime.
“Those are the challenges facing people today. And frankly, telling them that there are going to be jobs coming five and 10 years from now doesn't give them comfort, and it's almost cruel,” said Molinaro.
The CHIPS and Science Act includes language to establish a National Semiconductor Technology Center. Albany-area officials and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York have pushed for the capital city to become home to the national technology hub. Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko represents the 20th district and serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“We have R&D being done with SUNY Albany at the microelectronics center, and we've got workforce development going on with places like Hudson Valley Community College, we've got all the pieces of the puzzle. So, the common-sense outcome, we're working really hard on this, is to land that National Semiconductor Center here in New York,” said Tonko.
After leaving Poughkeepsie, Biden attended Democratic fundraisers in New York and New Jersey.
