Semiconductor CEOs Urge Congress to Enact Trade Promotion Authority to Spur Growth, Innovation

by Semiconductor Industry Association

WASHINGTON—April 16, 2015—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today applauded bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.). The SIA board of directors, led by Intel CEO and SIA chairman Brian Krzanich, sent a letter today to congressional leaders expressing support for the legislation and urging its swift passage. Additionally, SIA president and CEO John Neuffer released the following statement in support of the bill:

“SIA strongly supports Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and applauds the introduction of this bipartisan legislation. TPA paves the way for free trade by empowering U.S. negotiators to reach final trade agreements consistent with negotiating objectives laid out by Congress. Free trade is especially critical to the U.S. semiconductor industry, which designs and manufactures the chips that enable virtually all electronics. Our industry relies on a global ecosystem of materials and equipment suppliers, technology providers, services, R&D, and customers, so we depend on open access to international markets.

“In 2014, U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $173 billion, representing over half the global market, and 82 percent of those sales were to customers outside the United States. The U.S. semiconductor industry employs nearly 250,000 people in high-skilled, high-wage jobs in America, and supports over one million additional U.S. jobs. Since most of the U.S. semiconductor industry’s customers are abroad, free trade is critical to creating and supporting these U.S. jobs.

“The United States is currently pursuing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), two important trade agreements that would result in billions of dollars in global trade of semiconductor products. Without TPA, these agreements may never see the light of day.

“TPA makes sense for America and for the future prosperity of Americans. We commend Chairman Ryan, Chairman Hatch and Ranking Member Wyden for introducing this pro-growth legislation and urge lawmakers to act swiftly to approve it.”