They just can't stop helping themselves

putting the finishing touches onto the CHIPS Act

The so-called “Chips Act”, which was originally going to cost $57 billion, has now mysteriously grown to $250 billion and just as mysteriously, had all the provisions that were to safeguard against the transfer of technology stripped away.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) removed an anti-China security measure from a bill that invests billions of dollars in the U.S. technology sector, a move Republicans say would allow China to benefit from the spending bill and could kneecap the legislation.

At issue are provisions written by Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) that bar U.S. companies from manufacturing products in China, such as semiconductors, that were developed using federally funded research. Myriad government and private investigations conclude that the Chinese government routinely steals trade secrets from U.S. companies, government agencies, and universities.

Schumer earlier this month removed Portman’s provisions from the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act, throwing a wrench into the vote for Republicans who were under the impression it would be included and planned to vote for the bill, according to multiple interviews and internal documents viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

Schumer may figure in the excerpt above, but the full article makes clear that the entire kleptocracy: Republicans, manufacturers, bankers, and universities has its nose firmly buried in the trough on this one.