Local and federal lawmakers say Micron’s $100 billion plan to build four semiconductor chip manufacturing facilities in central New York isn’t in danger, despite President Trump’s call to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act.
The CHIPS Act was instrumental in persuading Micron to expand its chipmaking capacity in Boise, Idaho, and in central New York. The company won a $6.1 billion grant as part of the bipartisan legislation. When President Trump called the 2022 law a “horrible, horrible thing” during his address to Congress Tuesday night and suggested it be repealed, it prompted concern about the Micron project.
Rep. John Mannion (D-Geddes), who represents parts of central New York and the Mohawk Valley in Congress, says the good news is that Micron’s share of the cash is locked in.
"This is a done deal,” Mannion said. “We should move forward with it as was outlined, as was negotiated at all levels of government by Republicans and Democrats, in the best interest of our national security and certainly in the best interest of the central New York, Mohawk Valley, upstate New York economy."
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, a Republican, agrees that a signed contract secures the funds for Micron. On Wednesday, he called Trump’s comments “political rhetoric.”
“It's rhetoric in the arena,” McMahon said. “And what we're doing, the second the agency puts pencils down on the review, then I'm concerned. And then I'm going to make a lot of noise, and then I'm in D.C. having these conversations.”
McMahon also points to the fact that he’s had discussions just this week with federal agencies, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, all about the project's progress.
“If this administration did not want to support this project, this administration would not be working with us every day to move the project forward,” he said. “Pencils would have been down on the environmental review."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a driving force behind the CHIPS Act, said in a statement that the bipartisan legislation is already creating positive impacts, and he doesn’t think the president "will find much support in Congress for weakening this legislation."
