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Biden will travel to Licking County, near Columbus, Ohio, to
speak at the site of Intel's new $20 billion semiconductor
manufacturing facility.
The trip is part of a White House pre-midterms push to tout new
funding for manufacturing and infrastructure Biden's Democratic
Party pushed through Congress, while decrying opposition
Republicans backed by former President Donald Trump as dangerous
extremists.
Previous trips to Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have
landed the president in areas where Democrats already have
strong support, but Licking County voted Republican 63% to 35%
in the 2020 presidential election.
OHIO IN PLAY?
Democrats have lost Ohio in the past two presidential contests,
but Republican Senator Rob Portman retirement may give Democrats
a chance to pick up a Senate seat.
Representative Tim Ryan is running against Republican J.D.
Vance, a venture capitalist and author of the book, "Hillbilly
Elegy," who has the backing of former Republican President
Donald Trump.
Trump’s political organization announced on Monday that Trump
will appear at a rally for Vance in Youngstown, Ohio, on Sept.
17.
Intel backed the Ohio project in anticipation of the passage of
the Chips and Science Act, a funding law that Biden signed last
month after some Republicans join Democrats to support it, the
White House says.
The Chips act is aimed at jumpstarting the domestic production
of semiconductors in response to supply-chain disruptions that
have slowed the production of automobiles.
A string of other companies have announced new semiconductor
plants emanating from passage of the Chips act, which authorized
about $52 billion in government subsidies for U.S. semiconductor
production and research, and an investment tax credit for chip
plants estimated to be worth $24 billion.
During Biden's visit, Intel will announce it has distributed
$17.7 million to Ohio colleges and universities to develop
semiconductor-focused education and workforce programs, part of
a $50 million education and research investment in the state.
The Intel facility will contain at least two fabricating plants
that the White House said will be built by union labor, creating
more than 7,000 construction jobs and 3,000 full-time jobs
producing cutting edge chips.
(Reporting By Steve Holland and Jane Lee; Editing by Heather
Timmons and Aurora Ellis)
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