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Washington, D.C. —  U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement after voting to maintain the prevailing wage requirement, commonly known as Davis-Bacon, in the CHIPS Act funding. Rubio, an original cosponsor of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act, pushed for full funding of the new law earlier this year.

“I have been making the case for years that America needs to make targeted, but robust investments in critical industries like semiconductors,” Rubio said. “The CHIPS Act was an important step in that direction because it will help build a strong, resilient semiconductor industry in America. That means we will not be nearly as reliant on foreign nations for these critical products. It also means we will begin to bring good jobs back to America.”

“Good, dignified work is critical to the success of the country. As we invest tens of billions of dollars into critical industries through large, publicly traded companies, it is only right that we require that those funds also invest in the men and women who will build and maintain these cutting edge facilities,” Rubio continued. “Ensuring these Americans receive a prevailing wage for this work — work that is critically important to the future of our nation — is common sense.”

“American workers and companies are competing against the Chinese Communist Party, a genocidal regime that wants to weaken and destroy America. This type of targeted investment in a critical industry was unthinkable just a couple years ago, but the need for smart industrial policy is now widely accepted. I hope my colleagues will recognize a strong American workforce is similarly important to the future of our nation,” Rubio concluded.