Why the Bipartisan Innovation Act is Crucial for U.S. National Security

The Bipartisan Innovation Act (BIA), now in Congressional conference, will be the final legislative product of the Senate’s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act and the House’s 2022 America COMPETES Act. Yet while most have focused on the economic competitiveness aspects of the legislation, the reality is an alacritous passage of the BIA will be as crucial for U.S. national security as economic security. Indeed, the respective legislations call for $50 billion to stimulate U.S. semiconductor innovation and production; $50 billion for R&D into 10 key emerging technologies with significant defense applications such as AI, quantum, and hypersonics; and initiatives to protect U.S. IP and technological knowhow from pilfering by foreign adversaries all have significant national security implications. And beyond the legislation’s headline programs are many other elements including their call for a report on the state of U.S. national technology and the industrial base, a pilot program to create deployable economic defense response teams, and measures to secure defense industrial supply chains.

Please join ITIF for a discussion of why prompt passage of the BIA during the summer of 2022 is vital for U.S. national security.