Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1473479
22 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2022 Act funding, with strong support from Pres- ident Biden, is creating huge expectations for an unprecedented infusion of funds into our industry. Congress is also considering an overhaul of federal R&D programs, as well as CHIPS Act-like legislation to bolster the U.S. printed circuit board industry. ese are all exciting develop- ments, but the looming and still unanswered question is whether Congress can meet these high expec- tations. Passage of the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which includes the CHIPS Act funding, will create the frame- work for government sup- port, but Congress will still need to appropriate the actual funds. e admin- istration, congressional champions, and the tech industry had hoped Con- gress would approve these funds last summer; then by year-end; then by spring 2022; and now by this summer. e likelihood is dimming, however, as the approach of the midterm election starts to guide the decision. Nothing in recent political history would suggest that Congress can pass a bill of such significance in the months leading up to an election. And yet, the industry continues to press the case, understanding that progress can occur in surprising ways, and that no one piece of legis- lation is ever a silver bullet. e industry must walk and chew gum at the same time. Even as we lobby for passage of the CHIPS funding— which incidentally will support IC substrate fabrication—we must also advocate for a half dozen other initiatives that collectively hold the potential for a manufacturing resurgence in the U.S. ese other initiatives include the PCB Act, the supply chain resiliency fund in the Bipartisan Innovation Act, and a presiden- tial national security determination on PCBs and IC substrates. Again, all these efforts are positive, but pro- posals don't move the market, and they cer- tainly don't lead to private sector investment in U.S. manufacturing. If Congress fails to act, it will have dire implications for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, but it will also send a signal to companies worldwide that the U.S. is not serious about manufacturing. It suggests that the U.S. government has learned nothing about supply chain vulnerabilities from the pandemic, nat- ural disasters, or geopo- litical tensions. It suggests that the U.S. does not yet appreciate the con- nection between man- ufacturing, on one hand, and innovation, secu- rity, and resiliency on the other. Our industry is now waiting for the government to show up in the way they have promised. e wait is stymying private sector investments, and more and more, companies are deciding to leave the waiting room and take opportunities to nations with governments that are ready to back rhetorical declarations with real support—financial and regulatory. e U.S. government is being tested right now. Can its leaders come together and posi- tion the United States for technological lead- ership in the years and decades ahead? It's not yet clear they are ready to meet the test. PCB007 Dr. John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC. To read past columns, click here.