Dear Friend,

From the onset of the pandemic, folks all over the country have embraced the power of technology to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. Likewise, businesses across our economy have met consumers’ needs by making technological advances at a remarkable pace and adopting the kind of 21st century innovation that is here to stay.

As we continue to rely on technology to power nearly every sector of our economy, we have a responsibility to make sure that we’re not dependent on adversaries like China, which play by a different set of rules.

That’s why I’m thrilled to report that the Senate recently passed a bill I helped write – one that would strengthen American competitiveness, foster U.S. innovation, and reassert our technology leadership on the world stage.

For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has routinely taken advantage of what makes our country so great: our openness, our technology, and our free markets. By kicking innovation into overdrive and doubling down on authoritarian tendencies like cyber theft, restrictive trade policies, and outright coercion, the Chinese government has demonstrated an alarming commitment to undermining our leadership and boosting its influence across the world.

The United States Innovation and Competition Act meets the threat of an increasingly dominant China by significantly investing in the development and manufacturing of technologies that are critical to national security and economic competitiveness. This includes biotechnology, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors – the tiny chips that power modern technology, from cars, computers, and smartphones, to ‘smart’ devices like laundry machines and toothbrushes.

This legislation would also take important steps to protect our intellectual property from adversaries like China, which seeks to utilize these tools to surveil its people, eliminate dissent, censor the media, restrict religious groups, silence human rights activists, and advance repressive foreign influence campaigns. 

The best part is that you don’t have to be a computer developer or quantum scientist to benefit from this legislation. That’s because this bill will help create good-paying manufacturing jobs in Virginia and across the country.

As we look to bounce back from the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19, one thing is clear: we won’t be able to catch up economically if we’re unable to compete with China. That’s why, in the coming days and weeks, I’ll be urging my friends in the House of Representatives to get this bill passed and onto the President’s desk without delay.

If you want to share your thoughts about an issue that’s important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,