AOC praises Johnson’s 'honesty' after he admits plan to repeal bill that created 115K jobs

01 November 2024

During a recent campaign stop in upstate New York, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told a local reporter that he planned to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act, which is the law that strengthened the computer chip manufacturing industry in the United States. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) seized on that quote to stress the importance of voting in Tuesday's election.

Johnson was in New York's 22nd Congressional District to stump for Rep. Brandon Williams (R-New York), a freshman lawmaker running for a second term after winning by less than 3,000 total votes in 2022. While Johnson and Williams were standing together, Syracuse University student Luke Radel asked the speaker whether he planned to repeal the CHIPS Act given that former President Donald Trump has been campaigning against it.

"I expect that we probably will, but we haven't developed that part of the agenda yet," Johnson said.

Notably, Williams directly contradicted the speaker in front of the media, and vowed that he would not be in favor of repealing the CHIPS Act. Johnson then looked down and bit his lip as the New York Republican said he would remind Johnson "night and day how important the CHIPS Act is."

During a Friday night appearance on MSNBC host Chris Hayes' "All In," both Ocasio-Cortez and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain blasted Johnson's remarks on the CHIPS Act. Ocasio-Cortez said that Speaker Johnson's comments should be taken seriously and that voters who benefited directly from jobs created by the CHIPS Act should know what would happen if Republicans were victorious on Election Day.

"Some people may hear CHIPS Act, or some kind of vague policy, but people in Buffalo, people in upstate New York, people in Michigan, they hear about the plant they work at," she said. "And when you have the speaker of the House, the Republican speaker of the House roll up to Buffalo, New York and say, 'we are going to shut down the plants that give you all your jobs,' you better believe people know what he is talking about."

"And what I love about it, and what I would like to thank Speaker Johnson for, is his honesty and his forthrightness about what they plan to do with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives," she added. "And I want everyone in Buffalo to know: You heard it straight from the horses mouth. And we will see exactly what happens if we allow a Republican majority in the House and a Donald Trump presidency."

Johnson's comment about the CHIPS Act was eventually tweeted by Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign X (formerly Twitter) account, where it has been viewed more than 1.3 million times in less than three hours. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) seized on Johnson's remarks and reminded his followers of the real impact that the potential repeal of the CHIPS Act would have on his constituents.

"First Donald Trump and now Speaker Johnson," Kelly tweeted. "Make no mistake: If they win, they are coming for the CHIPS Act — and tens of thousands of Arizona jobs."

President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law in 2022, which appropriated roughly $30 billion across 15 states to fund 23 projects for semiconductor manufacturing. According to the Department of Commerce, the CHIPS Act will have created approximately 115,000 jobs in both the construction and manufacturing industries by the time funds have all been allocated in December of this year.

Watch Ocasio-Cortez's segment below, or by clicking this link.

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