McConnell Threatens to Kill China Competition Bill as Democrats Push Reconciliation Spending Package

As Congress returns from a two-week recess, Democrats are enhancing their efforts to pass legislation to bolster U.S. competitiveness and counter China.

The bipartisan bill, called the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), includes $50 billion to boost the production of semiconductor computer chips and $100 million for the National Science Foundation for research and development. While the Senate passed the measure over a year ago, it has since been stalled in Congress. Meanwhile, Democrats are negotiating with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on a reconciliation spending package that would revive certain portions of the Biden administration’s initial $3.5 trillion spending package that didn't make the scaled-down $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Some of those measures include lowering healthcare costs for seniors, close an income tax loophole that benefits the wealthy and combatting climate change by penalizing methane emissions. While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supports the USICA, he recently tweeted that he would kill the measure if Democrats continue "pursuing a partisan reconciliation bill."

Some voices from the left argued that Senate Republicans "lack the wherewithal" to prevent the reconciliation bill since it can't be filibustered. Some coverage from right-rated outlets highlighted the sentiment that the Democrats' reconciliation bill would "increase inflation" and authorize the importation of thousands of new refugees amid an "unprecedented level of illegal immigration" at the southern border.