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Senator highlighted the rising costs facing Arizonans, importance of boosting semiconductor manufacturing to combat supply chain shortages, and need to increase wildfire mitigation and recovery efforts
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema highlighted the rising costs facing Arizonans, the importance of boosting semiconductor manufacturing to combat supply chain shortages, and the need to increase wildfire mitigation and recovery efforts with the U.S. Commerce Secretary during a Senate Commerce Committee.
“The Department has a wide range of tools to assist with many important Arizona priorities, such as addressing the historic drought in the Southwest, increasing domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, and expanding broadband to all corners of our state. I look forward to working with you and with my colleagues on this committee to continue to advance these efforts in a bipartisan manner to help Arizona families,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee.
Sinema focused her discussion with the Commerce Secretary on key issues currently impacting Arizona families and focusing on bipartisan solutions that can address drought and wildfire mitigation, inflation, and semiconductor manufacturing. The Senator also encouraged the Commerce Secretary to continue bipartisan efforts and use available tools within the Commerce Department to address the supply chain crisis, support Arizona business growth, and create good-paying jobs.
During the hearing, Sinema noted the Tunnel Fire north of Flagstaff, which has burned over 20,000 acres, and the Crooks Fire, which has burned over 6,000 acres south of Prescott. Sinema underscored how Arizonans rely on National Weather Service predictions and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data to predict fire trajectory and determine impacts to landscapes and their families’ safety. Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law included $80 million for NOAA high-performance computing and $50 million for wildfire prediction, detection, and forecasting.
Sinema additionally discussed her bipartisan CHIPS for America Act – which was signed into law last year – which will help restore America’s leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, an issue critical for America’s economic and national security, and helps combat inflation. Sinema noted that the bipartisan CHIPS for America Act fueled Intel’s $20 billion expansion in Arizona, creating thousands of jobs in the state. Additionally, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) began construction of a $35 billion advanced manufacturing site in Arizona, which will create thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs for Arizonans.
With projects already underway in Arizona, Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law ensures Arizona’s economy continues to thrive making historic investments to strengthen broadband, airports, wildfire mitigation, water systems and drought resilience, electricity and power grids, natural resources and energy production, and Land Ports of Entry – all without raising taxes on everyday Arizonans.