Republicans Against the ‘CHIPS Act’ Doubt Trump’s Proposal to Abolish It

WASHINGTON—On March 6, Senate Republicans expressed skepticism regarding President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to abolish the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, following his address to a joint session of Congress.

“You ought to eliminate the CHIPS Act, Mr. Speaker,” Trump articulated in his speech on March 4, directly addressing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

He argued that the legislation represents a financial giveaway to select companies.

“We shouldn’t have to provide them with funds. Our goal is to safeguard our businesses and citizens, and they will choose to invest in America since they won’t face tariffs here,” he explained.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has consistently opposed the CHIPS Act, suggested that the possibility of its repeal is unlikely.

“To be honest, I doubt that Congress will repeal CHIPS,” he remarked to The Epoch Times. “The president could potentially request to halt the funding. The disbursement of funds is at various stages.”

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The Act authorized around $280 billion in overall expenditures, with over $52 billion appropriated—$39 billion directed towards production incentives and $11 billion for research and development.

One beneficiary of CHIPS, the Taiwanese semiconductor firm TSMC, reported receiving $1.5 billion prior to Trump’s inauguration.

CHIPS passed the Senate with a vote of 64–33 and the House with a vote of 243–187, resulting from negotiations between both chambers. Even with some Republican support, reversing the legislation would likely present challenges.

A supermajority of 60 senators would be required to terminate any Senate filibuster on a repeal attempt—and according to Hawley, even attempting to reform CHIPS is unlikely to be prioritized in ongoing negotiations unless the president elevates it to a key agenda similar to his efforts to extend the initial tax cuts from his first term.

Identified as an economic populist, Hawley reiterated his stance on March 6, describing the law as “a giveaway to large corporations.”

He also pointed out his concerns regarding the absence of tariff provisions, a crucial aspect of Trump’s economic and foreign policy; CHIPS does not include exclusions for Section 301 tariffs and related trade measures that were discussed in bills like the United States Innovation and Competition Act and the America Competes Act, which were merged to create the final law.

Other Republican views on CHIPS were not as decisive.

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who also opposed CHIPS in 2022, expressed uncertainty about the president’s intentions regarding the law in his address.

“I’m not sure if he was referring to the entire Act, or only to the wasteful components, or what,” Crapo stated, emphasizing that the law authorized hundreds of billions in funding without being specifically targeted to domestic chip production.

He remarked that the provisions specifically related to chip manufacturing should be maintained.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a supporter of CHIPS in 2022, shared with The Epoch Times that the law had been “essential for national security,” stating it facilitated TSMC’s $100 billion investment during the new Trump administration.

He indicated that the bipartisan law emerged partly from supply-chain concerns raised during the first Trump administration, mentioning Secretary of State Mike Pompeo—who recently lost his security detail due to Trump—and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as significant advocates for the issues that CHIPS addressed.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), another supporter of CHIPS, conveyed to reporters that “the president recognizes the necessity of reshoring semiconductor production,” emphasizing that it should be enhanced to ensure it delivers “positive outcomes.”

He stated that the president informed him about any potential modifications to CHIPS he would like to see implemented.