Following a rally in support of Republican Rep. Brandon Williams (R-Sennett) Friday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects the CHIPS and Science Act will “likely” be repealed if former President Donald Trump is back in the White House and if the House stays a Republican majority.
"I expect that we probably will but we haven't developed that part of the agenda yet," Johnson told reporters Friday.
Johnson later walked back his comments.
The construction of Micron, which has already invested millions of dollars into the central New York region, remains reliant on the CHIPS Act funding. Micron has agreed to spend up to $100 billion over the next two decades to build a series of semiconductor chip manufacturing facilities in the Town of Clay.
Williams, who is in his final days of campaigning to keep his seat in New York's 22nd Congressional District, quickly pushed back on Johnson’s comments, saying he will continue to advocate for the needs of central New York.
"Obviously the CHIPS Act is hugely impactful here, and my job is to keep lobbying on my side, that's why I've crossed the aisle and supported many things against leadership,” Williams said. “But that's our partnership, that's how we are going to get through this. Being reelected, I will remind him night and day how important the CHIPS Act is and that we break ground on Micron."
Williams’ opponent, Democrat John Mannion, was quick to jump on Johnson’s comments. In a statement, Mannion said “without Green Chips and CHIPS and Science, Micron would be investing $100 billion in another state, and Wolfspeed would have missed out on $750 million in federal funding.”
BREAKING: I asked @SpeakerJohnson if he’ll try to repeal the CHIPS Act if Trump wins and they have control of Congress.
— Luke Radel (@lukeradel) November 1, 2024
“I expect that we probably will.”@RepWilliams responds: “I will remind him night and day how important the CHIPS Act is.” #NY22 @CitrusTVNews 🚨 pic.twitter.com/tUGwZMNMJM
Following the rally, Williams and Johnson walked back their comments.
“I spoke privately with the Speaker immediately after the event,” said Williams in a statement. “He apologized profusely, saying he misheard the question.”
Williams said that Johnson meant to say the CHIPS act may be reformed, not repealed.
“As I have further explained and clarified, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal,” Speaker Johnson said in a statement. “To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill—to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements.”
At the rally, Johnson said if central New Yorkers are interested in advocating for CHIPS Act, Williams remains the best candidate to represent them.
"When he speaks, everybody stops and listens," Johnson said. "He has great power of advocacy in Congress that things that are important to this district are important to him."
Former President Donald Trump said recently that the CHIPS and Science Act was “so bad.” He said that instead of subsidies, he would impose tariffs “so high that they will come and build their chip companies for nothing.”
