BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) is under fire for a campaign ad from his Republican opponent that misrepresents his contribution (or lack thereof) to increasing U.S. microchip manufacturing.
Titled “Engine” The ad was posted on Casey’s official YouTube channel. The video, filmed last month, shows him speaking about the CHIPS and SCIENCE Act, a 2022 law that would authorize $280 billion in domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research capacity.
“90% of our nation’s advanced semiconductor chips are manufactured in Asia, disrupting our supply chains and raising our costs,” Casey said in the ad. “That’s why I worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass the CHIPS SCIENCE Act to make our own chips in America.”
But as Republican opponent Dave McCormick’s campaign points out, the ad fails to mention that Casey was not a co-sponsor of the CHIPS/Science Act or the three previous CHIPS bills (the original CHIPS for America Act of 2020, the Endless Frontiers Act of 2020, and the American Innovation and Competition Act of 2021).
And the latest CHIPS Grant Recipients Casey’s home state of Pennsylvania was not among the 12 states selected for the project’s development, according to a statement from the Commerce Department’s CHIPS program office.
The 12 states approved for new projects after December 2023 are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Vermont.
“There are no announced semiconductor fabs in Pennsylvania, no semiconductor fabs, no hydrogen hub in western Pennsylvania,” a McCormick staffer told the Post. “Casey is [the CHIPS and Science Act] The bill passed, but it did nothing to get chips made in Pennsylvania.”
Casey’s office did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
The RealClearPolitics polling average gives the senator a 5.3-point lead over McCormick.
