Publications: Trelysa Long

Broad semiconductor tariffs may aim to strengthen U.S. national security, but could ultimately weaken U.S. technological leadership. Higher chip costs could raise consumer prices while slowing investment in the AI infrastructure that drives future growth.

Chinese industrial policy is reshaping global manufacturing and impacting every U.S. state. The result is growing risk to American industry, jobs, and national security.

Only 1 percent of tech goods under HS code 84 coming from ASEAN faced tariffs compared to about 90 percent for those from China.

OECD data shows there is a consistent, positive relationship between the share of firms using AI and a country’s GDP per hour worked.

As AI capabilities continue to advance, some people have begun raising concerns about the long-term implications for the tax base. But this concern is likely overstated. Policymakers should refrain from changing the tax base on the assumption that labor income will decline.

An increasing share of U.S. doctoral degrees are awarded in STEM fields, and many of these graduates pursue positions that depend heavily on federal research funding. Yet the Trump administration has proposed significant cuts to key science agencies in its FY 2027 budget request.

Over the last decade, U.S. trade performance has deteriorated significantly in advanced industries. That is a major problem because these industries have high fixed costs and require substantial investments in R&D, so they depend on large customer bases to achieve scale economies and remain globally competitive.

Maintaining R&D leadership in advanced industries is critical to U.S. economic competitiveness and national power. But on a size- and wage-adjusted basis, China is rapidly gaining ground. Congress needs to boost corporate R&D incentives to prevent America from falling behind.

The United States increasingly relies on foreign talent, specifically temporary visa holders who earn STEM degrees at American universities, to fill critical roles in advanced industries. Policymakers should implement an expedited green card process for these individuals, particularly in computer science and engineering, to ensure U.S. competitiveness and retain this highly skilled workforce.

One way to gauge how U.S. firms engage globally is by examining receipts from the rest of the world as a share of GDP. Policymakers should track foreign receipts as a share of GDP as a standard indicator of how U.S. firms’ global activity is evolving and whether it aligns with national economic interests.