Under a siege of third party commercials assailing him for economically supporting China, Alabama Senator Doug Jones announced Tuesday that this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will include a bipartisan proposal he sponsored last month to incentivize investments in American semiconductor manufacturing businesses instead of Chinese-owned companies.
The provision was approved Tuesday in the Senate 96-4 as an amendment to the NDAA.
The Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center at Auburn University is a world leader in microelectrics engineering. Jones says with 15 semiconductor companies in Alabama, the state stands to benefit substantially from increased investment in American semiconductor manufacturing.
“We all know that China is a bad actor on the world stage, which is why it is so crucial that the United States continues to lead the world in semiconductor technology,” Jones said in a statement.
Super PAC Club for Grwoth Action has been running attack ads against Jones for the last week, claiming he supported economic benefits for China.
“U.S. green for the red war machine” the ad says.
Jones, a Democrat, faces Republican Tommy Tuberville in November’s general election.