“These are great American companies that Congress just helped,” Kennedy said in an interview. “But they are very profitable and the supply of chips is increasing now. My concern is the amount of money. For that amount, we could have doubled the R&D tax credit for every company in America.” Kennedy, a Republican from Madisonville, is running for re-election this year and his three primary Democratic opponents have all said they supported the bill, which aims to counter China’s growing high-tech industry by subsidizing U.S. manufacturing “The CHIPS Act gave Senator Kennedy an opportunity to side with China or the American people on national security, jobs and the rising cost of necessities like the family car. Kennedy chose China,” said Gary Chambers Jr., a social justice activist from Baton Rouge. “My opponent said NO to this bipartisan investment in domestic chip manufacturing that will lower the cost of goods for hard-working Americans, create thousands of manufacturing jobs here in the US, and strengthen America’s position as a leader in technological advancement . This is not surprising. “ Kennedy responded: “I’ve heard the argument about the China threat. I understand. People say it’s an investment, not an expense. But I fear we have entered a period of stagflation. We have to freeze our spending on what’s in the budget and spend extra money only on defense, for obvious reasons.” Get the insider scoop on Louisiana politics once a week from us. Sign up today. The Senate passed the CHIPS Act with 17 of 50 Republicans voting in favor, including Sen. Bill Cassidy. “Senator Kennedy talks a lot, but he doesn’t get anything done,” said Luke Mixon, a former Navy fighter pilot who now lives in Baton Rouge and flies for Delta Air Lines. “He had the opportunity to lower costs for Louisiana families, create good U.S. jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign countries, and strengthen our national security. But once again, he chose partisan politics over the good of our state and nation. I would have proudly joined Senator Cassidy in voting to pass the CHIPS Act.” Syrita Steib, who oversees a New Orleans-based nonprofit that aims to help female inmates after their release, also criticized Kennedy. “Why does Senator Kennedy continue to vote against legislation that would immediately strengthen our state and national economy and supply chain?” she asked in a statement. “The CHIPS Act will bring semiconductor manufacturing production and boost research and development to the U.S. and help alleviate some of the shortages we currently face in our supply chain.”
