Collaborating with Cornyn: Our Joint Op-Ed on Importance of CHIPS Program for Texas, U.S. Manufacturing Success
As President Trump retakes the White House with Republican majorities in Congress, we have a golden opportunity to strengthen and reclaim the CHIPS program—a transformative initiative that originated during his first term. At the request of President Trump's first national security team, Senator Cornyn and I led the effort to pass the CHIPS for America Act, which brought semiconductor production back to American soil, boosting our national security and economic resilience. Since then, Texas has seen incredible growth, with companies like Texas Instruments, Samsung, and GlobalWafers investing billions of private-sector dollars, creating thousands of jobs and solidifying our state as a leader in this critical industry.
It’s vital that we continue to build upon that success, especially as we face growing threats from the Chinese Communist Party. Semiconductors power everything from our toasters to our most advanced fighter jets. With over 90% of advanced semiconductors still produced in Taiwan — which remains vulnerable to a Chinese invasion — we must act decisively to secure our technological future.
Under the Biden administration, the program faced unnecessary regulatory hurdles and divisive DEI requirements that politicized semiconductor manufacturing and slowed progress. But with President Trump back in office, we have an opportunity to refocus CHIPS on its core mission and use the program to help Make America Great Again. Let’s reclaim CHIPS and fulfill our promise to strengthen American manufacturing and secure our nation’s future.
Click here to read the full op-ed I wrote with Senator John Cornyn in the Austin-American Statesman.