NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today applauded President Joe Biden signing into law bipartisan legislation, authored by Hagerty and co-sponsored by Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Rob Portman (R-OH), to cut bureaucratic red tape for key national-security manufacturing operations, like semiconductors, by granting them access to an improved federal permitting program that will accelerate American development of these critical projects.
“I came to Washington to create jobs for the American people and bolster our national security to beat the Chinese Communist Party in the competition that will define the century, and my first piece of legislation signed into law advances both of these important goals,” said Senator Hagerty. “I thank Senators King and Portman for their steadfast partnership and my colleagues in both houses of Congress for their support in working to end our reliance upon Communist China, reinvigorate our manufacturing independence, and reduce government red tape to unleash American competitiveness and innovation. The enactment of this legislation is a win for American security and prosperity, American industries, American jobs, and the American people.”
“From basic household appliances to advanced defense systems, almost every piece of modern life relies on semiconductors. As supply chains struggle and tensions with China rise, it’s abundantly clear America can no longer afford to be dependent on competitors for these critical technologies,” said Senator King. “Our bipartisan FAST-41 reforms will encourage a rapid expansion of the domestic semiconductor production critical to the nation’s long-term economic success and security. This is a commonsense step to support innovation – and, partnered with the historic investments of the CHIPS Act, will be a major boost to American competitiveness in the 21st century. I’m grateful to Senators Hagerty and Portman for their partnership on this bill and to President Biden for signing it into law.”
“Expanding the FAST-41 permitting process improvements to more projects—especially projects involving semiconductors, technology, and other matters of national security—is common sense,” said Senator Portman. “Over the past six years, the FAST-41 process has substantially reduced the permitting process timeline for covered projects by increasing agency communication and accountability. I’m pleased this bipartisan legislation to leverage that process to make America more competitive and secure is now law.”
Background:
The Hagerty-King-Portman legislation, which passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent in January and passed the House of Representatives in July, will reduce dramatically the time it takes to obtain the permitting necessary to build semiconductor and other key manufacturing facilities in the United States, encouraging these projects to locate in the United States. This will not only create American jobs, but it will also help to re-shore supply chains that are essential to U.S. national security and reduce dependence on Communist China and other foreign sources for key products, advancing American leadership in the industries at the heart of the competition with the Chinese Communist Party.
Previous permitting reform efforts have often focused on public infrastructure projects led by state and local governments. Conversely, Hagerty’s watershed bill enacts regulatory reform that benefits private-sector companies building products that are essential to American national and economic security. This will allow strategic industries, like semiconductor fabrication facilities, to build in America more quickly, increasing America’s competitiveness and leveling the playing field with adversaries like Communist China.
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