Senator Baldwin Named to Conference Committee on Bipartisan Legislation to Invest in Innovation, Create Jobs, Strengthen Supply Chains, and Lower Costs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement after being announced as a member of the conference committee which will negotiate the differences between the Senate-passed United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and the House-passed America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act and work toward the final passage of legislation to improve America’s global competitiveness by investing in innovation, creating good-paying jobs, strengthening supply chains, and lowering costs.

“Passing this legislation will help us build a Made in America economy by investing in innovation, creating jobs, strengthening our supply chains, lowering costs for businesses and manufacturers, and reducing prices for working families,” said Senator Baldwin. “We have seen in the last few years that our supply chains are vulnerable to disruptions that impact businesses and consumers. The Senate and House have both passed legislation, and now we need to bring it together to make sure we build a Made in America supply chain, instead of having it outsourced abroad. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way on this conference committee to bring manufacturing jobs back to America and make strong investments in research and development. Wisconsin has strong potential to be a growth center because we have world-class research universities and a Made in Wisconsin manufacturing workforce that knows how to make products. We are leaders in bioenergy research and water technology, so, Wisconsin is well positioned for growth in emerging industries. Passing this legislation can really help support the R&D we are doing and help create job growth for our state.”

In addition to Senator Baldwin, other Democrats on the conference committee are Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman, Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Jon Tester (D-MT), Chairman, Committee on Veteran’s Affairs, Mark Warner (D-VA), Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mark Kelly (D-AZ), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

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