GOP’s Johnson Backpedals on Claim to Scrap Job-Boosting CHIPS Act with Trump’s Help

During a Friday night interview on MSNBC, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez extended an unexpected “thank you” to House Speaker Mike Johnson for revealing the GOP’s intentions to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act if they gain control of Congress and the presidency. This act has already generated over 115,000 manufacturing jobs.

“I appreciate Speaker Johnson’s candidness about the Republican agenda with a majority in the House,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) stated. “It’s clear from the source, and now we know what to expect if the Republicans and Donald Trump take over.”

The reference was to an interview conducted by Luke Radel, a student journalist from Syracuse University, who questioned Johnson (R-La.) regarding Trump’s criticisms of the CHIPS and Science Act as “terrible.”

“You were against it,” Radel noted. “With a Republican Congress and Trump as President, would you seek to repeal it?”

“That’s likely, though it’s not fully planned out yet,” Johnson responded, before quickly shifting the discussion to focus on Rep. Brandon Williams, a Republican representing New York’s 22nd District. This district is home to a $100 billion Micron Technology chip manufacturing facility benefiting from the CHIPS and Science Act.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized Johnson’s comments, saying, “The Republican Speaker has just informed the tens of thousands of construction workers building our nation’s future that their layoffs are coming soon.”

The conversation took an awkward turn when Radel questioned Williams about his stance on repealing the law, enacted in 2022 under President Joe Biden, which Micron claims will create 50,000 jobs in semiconductor manufacturing around Syracuse.

“Absolutely not, the CHIPS Act has been transformative here, and I’m committed to continuously advocating for it,” Williams asserted. “I’ll keep reminding Johnson about its importance and the need to start construction on Micron.”

In a discussion with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Ocasio-Cortez emphasized the significance of the CHIPS Act for workers across various states including Upstate New York, Michigan, and Arizona. “This legislation isn’t just a distant concept for workers—it’s about the jobs, particularly union jobs, that allow them to earn a decent living without excessive overtime,” she remarked.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) supported Ocasio-Cortez’s views, stating that repealing the CHIPS Act would jeopardize “tens of thousands of jobs created under this administration.”

“We will not regress,” the union declared.

Johnson’s statement also alarmed other politicians from regions benefiting from the act, including Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Less than a fortnight ago, Whitmer revealed that the CHIPS Act facilitated a $325 million federal investment in Hemlock Semiconductor in Michigan, creating over 1,000 construction jobs and 180 permanent manufacturing positions.

“Johnson’s reckless declaration to repeal the CHIPS Act if the Republicans and Trump win is catastrophic for the thousands of Michigan workers relying on this law,” Governor Whitmer stated. “A repeal would obliterate countless high-quality manufacturing jobs here in Michigan.”

Johnson tried to backtrack, claiming he had “misheard the question,” but Radel, who was close by during the interview, noted that the term “repeal” was distinctly mentioned. Both Williams and Johnson later modified their stance, suggesting they only intended to modify the law, although Trump’s opposition to the CHIPS Act was evident.

The Democratic presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris pointed out that Johnson’s threat is one of several dubious claims made by Trump and his allies as the election nears.

Johnson’s statements coincided with a rally by Ocasio-Cortez, United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain, and Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) in Detroit, aimed at mobilizing Michigan UAW members to vote.

“Elections are not the finish line but a checkpoint,” Ocasio-Cortez told the UAW crowd. “The broader goal is to mobilize a massive labor movement in the U.S. Electing Kamala Harris marks the beginning of the journey we’re undertaking.”