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Rep. Riley defends Chips and Science Act as vital to rebuilding manufacturing; witness warns automation will reshape jobs
Summary
Representative Riley said the Chips and Science Act can revive manufacturing in Upstate New York and rebuild the middle class; Dr. Foster agreed on the national-security value of onshore manufacturing but cautioned that AI and robotics will change the workforce.
Representative Riley (New York) urged the committee to protect and fully implement the Chips and Science Act, saying the law is critical to rebuilding manufacturing and middle-class jobs in Upstate New York.
“We used to make stuff in this country,” Riley said, describing factories and family histories in Endicott and arguing that the Chips and Science Act offers a chance to bring high-skilled manufacturing back to communities that lost jobs to offshoring.
Dr. Foster responded that bringing manufacturing onshore is a national-security imperative and can restore some jobs, but he cautioned that technological change — especially AI and robotics — will reduce the number of jobs available in the long term. “When the lights go up on Broadway or rock and roll or whatever, 2 thirds of the time it's our company's equipment,” Foster said referring to his private-sector manufacturing experience, and he noted that technology has lowered the competitive market value of human labor.
Foster told members that the federal role should include both restoring manufacturing capacity for security reasons and planning policies that address the distributional consequences as automation increases productivity. Members also raised local examples of planned fabs and R&D investments in New York state during the exchange.
No formal votes were taken during the hearing; the record remains open for 10 days for written questions and comments.
