▪ Has focused on reducing government barriers in the economy, including taxes and regulations that limit innovation.

▪ Trump budgets have proposed increased funding for research in some technology areas, especially emerging technologies such as AI, but also have sought to cut overall support for research.

▪ Rejects Washington consensus on trade policy and focuses on being tough on China with a largely unilateral approach.

▪ Budget proposals have cut funding for clean energy R&D.

▪ Has pushed back against greater immigration, including H1-B and L1 workers.

▪ For education and training, has pushed for less funding generally, but more support for apprenticeship programs. Also signed an executive order requiring the federal government to hire on the basis of capabilities, not degrees.

▪ Supports increased investment in rural broadband infrastructure.

▪ Embraces lighter regulations, lower business taxes, and a traditional consumer-welfare approach to antitrust—except for Internet platforms.

▪ Supports limiting Section 230 protections and potential antitrust enforcement against major Internet platforms.

▪ Policy approach formulated to engage government as both an active partner with industry in setting a technology agenda—particularly to achieve social goals—and as a tougher regulator of many technology industries.

▪ Has highlighted support for significantly increased public investment in R&D and advanced production.

▪ Questions Washington consensus on trade and is focused on being tough with China—but supports a more multilateral approach than does Trump.

▪ Supports massive increases in clean energy R&D funding.

▪ Embraces the traditional Democratic position on immigration, which has supported increases in both high- and low-skill immigration.

▪ Has proposed significant increases in public investment in education and skills.

▪ Appears to support greater federal investment in rural broadband infrastructure than Trump.

▪ Supports higher taxes on business, particularly large corporations; stronger regulations, including on privacy and broadband providers; and more aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly on large Internet companies.

▪ Supports limiting Section 230 protections and potential antitrust enforcement against major Internet platforms.

Federal R&D Funding

▪ Has proposed sizable overall reductions in federal research spending in each of his four proposed budgets (e.g., FY 2021 budget request represented a 9 percent decline in FY 2020 actual spending).[3]

▪ Has focused on increased R&D investments for five “Industries of the Future” (e.g., FY 2022 budget request of $2.2 billion for non-defense AI and quantum computing research represents 30 percent increase over FY 2020 levels).[4]

▪ Calls for $300 billion in new investment in R&D and breakthrough technologies, over four years.[5]

Defense/Defense R&D Investment

▪ FY 2021 budget request increased Defense budget by 0.1 percent to $705.4 billion.[6] FY 2021 budget proposal cuts overall defense R&D budget by 5.5 percent vs. 2020 levels, including $284 million (10.9 percent) decline in basic research programs, $675 million (11.1 percent) decline for applied programs, and $959 million (14 percent) decline for advanced technology development programs. However, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programs would be slated for a 3.1 percent ($108 million) increase.[7]

▪ “Doesn’t foresee major reductions in the U.S. defense budget.”[8] Has called for “major increases in direct federal R&D spending,” including at DARPA, but a specific dollar figure not offered.[9]

Artificial Intelligence

▪ In February 2019, signed an Executive Order on “Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,” which launched the American AI Initiative, the first official U.S. national AI strategy.[10]

▪ AI identified as a “breakthrough technology” in line for significantly increased R&D funding.

Quantum Computing

▪ Signed the National Quantum Initiative Act into law, released a National Strategic Overview for Quantum Information Science, established the Quantum Economic Development Consortium, and has launched Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes.[11]

▪ Has called on federal agencies to prioritize the implementation of a national strategic computing ecosystem.[12]

▪ Quantum computing identified as a “breakthrough technology” in line for significantly increased R&D funding.

Semiconductors

▪ Supports the CHIPS Act and American Foundries Act, which were merged and included in 2020 NDAA.[13]

▪ Has called for increased U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and supply chain resiliency.[14]

Tech Transfer and Commercialization

▪ Administration undertook a comprehensive review of how to maximize U.S. innovation from government-funded research, culminating in an April 2019 NIST Green Paper that provided 15 discrete policy recommendations.[15]

▪ Has called on federal agencies to “develop the skills and prioritize the resources” to “improve transfer of federally funded technologies from lab to market.”[16]

▪ Calls for a “scaled-up” Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.[17]

Supporting Start-Ups and Small Businesses

▪ In 2018, signed the bipartisan Small Business 7(a) Lending Oversight Reform Act, which streamlined the SBA 7(a) lending program, improved program oversight and transparency, and increased program flexibility.[18]

▪ Would implement a new and expanded State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) that would create a $10 billion venture capital investment program for minority-owned companies and increase to $3 billion funds for women-owned companies.[19]

Support Regional Innovation Initiatives

▪ Strengthen coordination on existing and new partnerships that improve place-based and national-level collaboration for innovation economies, such as those in Opportunity Zones, underrepresented populations, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and minority-serving institutions (MSIs).[20]

▪ Would create a national network of free incubators and innovation hubs co-located with Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), libraries, HBCUs, community colleges, MSIs, etc.[21]

Taxpayer Benefits of Federal R&D Funding

▪ NIST Green Paper found that the scope of the government-use license was not well-defined and promised further clarification.[22]

▪ Has not proposed royalty paybacks from high-profit biopharmaceutical products.

▪ Calls for “strengthening existing federal rights” to ensure U.S. government “captures a share of royalties from high-profit products.”[23]

Cybersecurity

▪ Has signed executive orders on cybersecurity that have aimed to improve cybersecurity for federal networks, critical infrastructure, and the nation, as well as strengthen the federal cybersecurity workforce.[24]

▪ Has given U.S. Cyber Command more freedom to engage in offensive hacking operations.[25]

▪ The Trump administration’s National Cyber Strategy has called for using the power of the purse to drive sector-wide improvements in cybersecurity, and developing and implementing standards in emerging areas such as quantum-resistant public key cryptography.[26]

▪ Has called for “cybersecurity improvements to make smart grids more resilient to attacks.”[27]

▪ The 2020 Democratic Platform calls for a Biden administration to “maintain American capabilities that can deter cyber threats” and “work with other countries—and the private sector—to protect individuals’ data and defect critical infrastructure.”[28]

Encryption

▪ Has not taken a position on encryption while in office. As a candidate in 2016, criticized Apple for opposing a government order to assist with decrypting the mobile phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.[29]

▪ Within Trump’s administration, Attorney General Barr has been an outspoken critic of “warrantless encryption.”[30]

▪ N/A

Internet Governance

▪ The Trump administration has launched the “Clean Network” initiative, which includes efforts to restrict sensitive personal information and confidential business information from being stored in China, restrict U.S. companies from making their mobile apps available in Chinese app stores, and remove Chinese apps from U.S. mobile app stores.[31]

▪ The 2020 Democratic Platform states, “We will recommit the United States to the principles of an open internet … and vigorously oppose efforts to digitally silo off countries and populations from the rest of the world.”[32]

Open Data

▪ The Trump administration has published an ambitious open data strategy.

▪ The Trump administration implemented new rules to foster health data exchange in 2020.^[33]

▪ Has previously championed open data initiatives, particularly to support cancer research.^[34]

Copyright

▪ Signed the Music Modernization Act, which significantly updated copyright law for digital music.^[35]

▪ The 2020 Democratic Platform states, “We will use all tools at our disposal to take action against countries that steal American intellectual property.”[36]

Online Platforms

▪ Alleges that social media platforms have an anti-conservative bias, and has threatened to “strongly regulate, or close them down.”[37]

▪ Has signed an executive order directing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to file a petition for rulemaking with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to propose regulations clarifying Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.[38]

▪ Has signed executive orders banning TikTok and WeChat, two Chinese-owned apps.[39] (The Treasury Department is currently reviewing TikTok’s proposal to mitigate the concerns raised by the executive order.)

▪ Has said that online platforms should do more to prevent the spread of misinformation and hate speech.[40]

▪ In an interview, has called for rescinding Section 230 liability protections, saying “Section 230 should be revoked, immediately should be revoked.”^[41]

▪ Biden’s campaign circulated a petition calling on Facebook to remove false, viral information, prevent political candidates and PACs from spreading misinformation through paid ads, and preventing all users, including prominent elected officials, from spreading false information about participating in elections.[42]

Data Privacy

▪ Supports national consumer privacy legislation with “the appropriate balance between privacy and prosperity.”[43]

▪ Supported legislation that allow consumers to protect their private information by placing a security freeze on their credit files.[44]

▪ Has said, “We should be worried about the lack of privacy [on tech platforms],” and “we should be setting standards not unlike the Europeans are doing relative to privacy.”[45]

▪ The 2020 Democratic Platform calls for passing federal data privacy legislation, in particular expanding privacy protections for students.[46]

▪ The 2020 Democratic Platform calls for updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) to give digital content the same privacy protections as physical content.[47]

Artificial Intelligence

▪ Launched the American AI Initiative to invest in AI R&D, make more resources available for AI, remove barriers to AI innovation, train an AI workforce, and promote an international environmental that supports trustworthy AI.^[48]

▪ His FY 2021 budget calls for doubling R&D spending for non-defense AI.[49]

▪ The White House entered the United States into the Global Partnership for AI, a G7 initiative to address AI policy governance.

▪ Has proposed a new $300 billion investment in R&D for breakthrough technologies, including AI.[50]

▪ Has stated, “The technologies of the future, like AI, are bound by laws and ethics, and promote greater shared prosperity and democracy.”[51]

Universal Broadband Infrastructure

▪ Promises to build “the World’s Greatest Infrastructure System.”[53] Presumably this would include improvements of some kind to the nation’s broadband infrastructure.

▪ In 2019, the Trump FCC revamped the existing rural broadband subsidy program into the “Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.”[54] The first phase, which will begin in October, aims to provide broadband to over six million unserved homes and businesses.[55]

▪ In 2018, the administration proposed an infrastructure package that aimed to spur a total of $1.5 trillion of investment, and incent state, local, and private investment through a combination of tax incentives and $200 billion in federal spending, including state-directed grants that could be spent on broadband or other infrastructure projects.[56] The proposal did not advance in Congress.

▪ Promises “universal broadband access” to “expand broadband access to every American.”[57]

▪ The campaign has committed to invest $20 billion in rural broadband as part of a larger infrastructure package.[58]

▪ Plans to triple U.S. Department of Agriculture rural broadband grants and partner with municipal utilities to increase rural broadband coverage.[59]

Wireless Spectrum and 5G

▪ After some rumors the administration would advance a national, wholesale wireless network, the White House clarified that the private sector would lead on 5G deployment.[60] In apparent diversion from this current White House and FCC policy, the Trump campaign asserts it will “Establish a National High-Speed Wireless Internet Network.”[61]

▪ During President Trump’s first term, the FCC pursued its “5G Fast Plan,” comprising several actions in three general categories: “(1) pushing more spectrum into the marketplace; (2) updating infrastructure policy; and (3) modernizing outdated regulations.”[62]

▪ Through a 2018 presidential memorandum, the administration tasked an inter-agency task force with developing a long-term “National Spectrum Strategy,” to be released by late July 2019.[63] As of this writing, the report has yet to be released.

▪ Has mentioned 5G as a component of a proposed $300 billion investment in R&D to expand “our innovative edge” in emerging technologies.[64]

▪ Has mentioned 5G as a tool to expand broadband to every American.[65]

▪ Has not yet commented on spectrum policy.

Title II and Net Neutrality

▪ Trump’s FCC, under Chairman Ajit Pai, rolled back Obama-era net neutrality rules, and removed its authority over mass-market residential broadband service.[66]

▪ Threatened to veto the Save the Internet Act, which would have restored common carriage-style net neutrality rules under Title II of the Communications Act.[67]

▪ Was reportedly “outraged” by the Trump administration’s reversal of Obama-era net neutrality rules.[68]

▪ The Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force report recommends Democrats restore the FCC’s authority over broadband providers, presumably through Title II of the Communications Act.[69]

▪ The Unity Task Force report calls for enforcement against “blocking, throttling, paid prioritization, or other measures that create artificial scarcity and raise consumer prices.”[70]

Affordability and Broadband Subsidies

▪ The FCC under the Trump administration has taken steps designed to limit waste and fraud in the Lifeline program.[71]

▪ The Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force proposes to support access for low-income Americans by providing “subsidies … through the Lifeline program.”[72]

Broadband Competition and Public-Private Partnerships

▪ The FCC under the Trump administration has taken steps to reduce barriers to private-sector-led facilities-based competition, and appears generally skeptical of municipal broadband.

▪ The Biden-Sanders Task Force calls for “action to prevent states from blocking municipalities and rural co-ops from building publicly-owned broadband networks,” and would increase federal support for municipal broadband.[73]

Immigration of High-Skill Foreign Workers

▪ Has worked to limit high-skill immigration, particularly for H1-B visas.

▪ Increased the denial rate for H1-B petitions from 6 percent in FY 2015 to 32 percent in the first quarter of FY 2019 because the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and its adjudicators raised the standard of proof for approving an H-1B petition after the Buy American Hire American executive order.[75]

▪ Has temporarily barred new immigrants on several employment-based visas, including the H1-B and L-1 visas, from entering the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic through the end of 2020.[76]

▪ Would work with Congress to reform temporary visas to establish a wage-based allocation process and enforcement mechanisms to ensure they are aligned with the labor market and not used to undermine wages.

▪ Would expand the number of high-skilled visas and eliminate the limits on employment-based visas by country to alleviate long backlogs.[77]

Support for STEM Education

▪ Prioritized STEM in discretionary education grants, investing $540 million in FY2019.[78]

▪ Released a five-year strategic plan to partner with industry and community organizations for STEM education.

▪ Each budget request has proposed cuts to STEM education funding, and prioritizes career and technical education at the expense of bolstering STEM in primary and secondary schools.[79]

▪ Would increase access to middle and high school courses in computer science.

▪ Would invest $5 billion in graduate programs in teaching and health care, and develop internship and career pipelines at major research agencies, centered on minority-serving institutions.[80]

Supporting Innovation in Education

▪ Proposed a $900 million increase in education spending to teach skills and trades and buy equipment for such curricula, one of the largest in recent history.

▪ Proposed an increase in funding for a competitive grant program for new and innovative education programs.[81]

▪ Issued an executive order calling on all federal agencies to increase the use of skill assessments to determine applicants’ qualifications, rather than only college degrees.^[82]

▪ Would invest in school vocational training and partnerships between high schools, community colleges, and employers to create programs that allow students to earn an industry credential upon high school graduation.

▪ Would increase access to middle and high school courses in computer science.

▪ Would invest $20 billion in building high-tech labs, facilities, and digital infrastructure at HBCUs and minority serving institutions.

Supporting Minority and Low-Income Students

▪ Implemented the year-round distribution of Pell grants, instead of limiting them to spring and fall semesters.

▪ Included $1 billion in funding to Further Options of Children to Unlock Success Grants for public school choice, and $250 million to the Education Innovation and Research Program to promote private school choice in his FY2018 Budget Request.

▪ Proposed a $5 billion federal tax credit on donations to fund scholarships to private and vocational schools, apprenticeships programs, and other educational opportunities.

▪ Implemented Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to delegate authority over education back to the states, encouraging the end of federal education mandates.[83]

▪ Signed a bill that would provide more than $250 million a year to HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.[84]

▪ Would triple funding for Title I, the federal program that funds schools with a high percentage of low-income students, and require districts to use funds to offer educators higher salaries, pay for pre-school, and provide access to rigorous coursework before using the funds for discretionary purposes.

▪ Would create a new program challenging local communities to ensure high schools meet changing demands of the workforce, first prioritizing building schools in low-income and minority communities.

▪ Would make public colleges and universities tuition free for all families with incomes below $125,000.

▪ Would double the maximum value of Pell grants.

▪ Would more than halve payments on undergraduate federal student loans by reforming the income-based repayment program.

▪ Would invest over $70 billion into HBCUs and minority-serving institutions to make them more affordable, well-equipped, and innovative.[85]

Community Colleges

▪ Supports ensuring community colleges focus more on educating for technical vocations.[86]

▪ Would provide two years of community college or other high-quality training programs without debt, with the federal government covering 75 percent of the cost and states contributing the remaining obligation.

▪ Would create a new grant program to support community colleges increasing their students’ retention and credential completion, and scaling successful programs to help more students.

▪ Would give states financial incentivizes to foster collaboration between community colleges and community-based organizations to provide support services for students.

▪ Would establish a federal grant program to help community colleges create emergency grant programs for students with unexpected financial challenges that jeopardize their ability to stay enrolled.

▪ Would make a $50 billion investment in workforce training, including community-college business partnerships and apprenticeships.

▪ Would invest $8 billion to help community colleges improve the health and safety of their facilities.[87]

Education Scholarships

▪ Would give a tax credit for donations to organizations that grant scholarships. States would determine eligibility.[88]

▪ No provision.

Corporate Tax Rate

▪ Supported lowering corporate rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.

▪ Would increase corporate tax rate to 28 percent.[90] The tax would be increased by 10 percent for profits on foreign goods and services that are imported back to the United States.

▪ Would impose a 15 percent tax on book income to ensure all companies pay at least some tax.[91]

Offshoring Penalties

▪ No provision.

▪ Would deny deductions and expensing write-offs for moving any production overseas that could “plausibly” be done in the United States.^[92]

Made in America Tax Credit

▪ No provision.

▪ Provides a 10 percent tax credit for refurbishing old plants, expanding facilities, moving jobs to the United States, or increasing manufacturing wages.[93]

Manufacturing Tax Credit

▪ No provision.

▪ $6 billion three-year provision for firms that invest in communities that experience mass layoffs or the closure of a major government institution.[94]

R&D Tax Credit.

▪ No provision.

▪ No provision.

Accelerated Depreciation for Research

▪ No provision.

▪ No provision.

Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting Activity

▪ Has implemented many of the OECD recommendations, making it harder for companies to shift profits to low-tax countries and implement national tax laws in unintended ways.

▪ “Will confront global tax secrecy and avoidance, taking on individuals and businesses that stash their profits in tax havens to avoid paying their fair share while tightening anti-inversion rules.”[95]

Digital Services Taxes (DSTs)

▪ The U.S. Trade Representative has threatened to impose tariffs on any country that implements a DST targeted at U.S. firms.

▪ No provision.

Taxation of Foreign Corporate Income (GILTI)

▪ Supported ending worldwide taxation, but inserted a new provision ensuring companies pay a minimum tax of 10.5 percent.

▪ Would double the current minimum tax rate from 10.5 to 21 percent. The tax would be applied country by country.[96]

Independent Contractors

▪ No provision.

▪ “Will enact legislation that makes worker misclassification a substantive violation of law under all federal labor, employment, and tax laws with additional penalties beyond those imposed for other violations.”[97]

Pharmaceutical Advertising

▪ No provision.

▪ Would deny a deduction for advertising expenditures.[98]

Tax Expenditures

▪ No provision.

▪ Reduces tax expenditures for fossil-fuel production and commercial real estate.

Innovation Box

▪ No provision.

▪ No provision.

Capital Gains Tax Rate

▪ Would lower to either 15.0 percent or 18.8 percent.[99]

▪ Taxes long-term capital gains and qualified dividends at ordinary rates on income for those households earning $1 million or more.[100] Treatment of short-term gains remains the same.

Individual Rate

▪ No provision.

▪ Increases tax rate on household incomes above $400,000 from 37 percent to 39.6 percent.

▪ Limits the value of itemized deductions for taxpayers in tax brackets above 28 percent.[101]

Carried Interest

▪ No provision.

▪ Has previously indicated he would eliminate it.[102]

20 Percent Deduction for Passthrough Firms

▪ Would extend.[103]

▪ Would repeal.[104]

Social Security

▪ Signed an Executive Order temporarily deferring Social Security taxes.[105]

▪ Would raise payroll tax from 0 percent to 12.4 percent for wages above $400,000.[106]

Repeal of Existing Regulations

▪ Signed 15 Congressional Review Act bills, and claims to have removed or withdrawn 860 regulatory actions from active status.[107]

▪ No provision.

OMB Regulatory Budget

▪ Signed an Executive Order requiring agencies to eliminate two regulations for every new rule they create.[108]

▪ No provision.

Infrastructure Projects

▪ Signed Executive Order accelerating approval of infrastructure projects.

▪ No provision.

Buy American Requirements

▪ Instituted Buy American requirements for federal spending.[109]

▪ “When we spend taxpayer money, we should buy American products and support American jobs.”[110]

Antitrust

▪ Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice are investigating the role of large Internet platforms.

▪ Would aggressively use antitrust laws to fight large mergers in the hospital, insurance, pharmaceutical, and other industries.[111]

▪ Incorporates broader criteria into antitrust decisions, including the impact on labor, underserved communities, and racial equality.[112]

▪ Would review all mergers and acquisitions since Trump took office.[113]

General Approach

▪ Has focused on getting tough with China, eschewing multilateral agreements in favor of bilateral agreements, and ensuring more domestic content.

▪ Commits to work with allies on new trade agreements, which would include stronger rules of origin and climate change commitments.[114] Prioritizes major domestic investments before pursuing new trade agreements.

Trans-Pacific Partnership

▪ Pulled the United States out of the TPP and is unlikely to rejoin.

▪ Is open to rejoining if the United States could renegotiate parts of the agreement.[115]

WTO

▪ Is critical of WTO’s failure to address Chinese innovation mercantilism, special and differential treatment for developing countries, members’ failure to provide notifications of trade measures, and perceived judicial overreach of its dispute settlement body.[116] His administration is involved in multiple efforts to reform the body.

▪ No mention, but has generally favored working with partners at WTO.

Trade Enforcement

▪ Actively uses a range of trade remedies (antidumping, countervailing duties, and safeguards). Has also removed tariff-free benefits for developing countries that enact unfair trade barriers (e.g., India).

▪ Commits to develop a comprehensive strategy to “aggressively” enforce domestic trade laws.[117]

China-Specific Trade Policy

▪ Continues to try to enforce the Phase 1 deal with China. However, has not prioritized efforts to negotiate a Phase 2 deal to address other systemic issues in China, such as subsidies and digital trade.[118]

▪ Is critical of the Phase 1 U.S.-China deal arguing that it doesn’t deal with key issues such as industrial overcapacity, cybertheft, and the role of state-owned enterprises, many of which he says he will address.[119]

Export Control Policy

▪ Has expanded the use of export controls to target a greater range of high-tech exports to China and specific Chinese firms, especially Huawei.[120] Has halted high-tech exports to Hong Kong over security concerns.[121] The Department of Commerce is still considering how to apply export controls to new and emerging technologies.[122]

▪ No mention.

Export-Import (EXIM) Bank

▪ In 2019, supported the reauthorization of EXIM for seven years and created a unit within EXIM to neutralize the advantages of China’s opaque export financing regime.[123]

▪ Supported the EXIM Bank during the Obama administration. His only campaign mention is he would prohibit funding for coal-fired power plants.[124]

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)

▪ Several Trump administration budget proposals have cut or eliminated funding for TAA.[125] The Department of Labor is considering reforms that would improve TAA in some ways.[126]

▪ No specific mention of TAA, but Biden supports greater funding for broader workforce skills development programs.[127]

Digital Free Trade

▪ Enacted improved digital trade provisions in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Rejected a deal with India, in part due to the lack of strong digital provisions. Enacted a digital trade agreement with Japan and is pursuing similar agreements with Australia and Brazil.

▪ No mention.

Buy American

▪ The Trump administration has enacted stronger “Buy American” provisions, especially for iron and steel products.[128] Trump also signed an executive order to require certain essential drugs and medical supplies purchased by the federal government be manufactured domestically.[129]

▪ Strongly supports Buy American provisions (including via a $400 billion procurement investment proposal) and will require federally funded infrastructure projects to source materials in the United States.[130] Commits to tighten domestic content rules, limit waivers to Buy American requirements, and extend Buy American provisions to other forms of government assistance, such as publicly funded R&D.[131]

Tariff Policy

▪ Uses higher tariffs for economic (domestic steel and aluminum support) and trade objectives, including to create leverage in negotiations with China.

▪ Will review existing Section 232 tariffs and other tariff increases. Is open to using tariffs as part of new trade strategy.[132]

Currency Manipulation

▪ USMCA is the first agreement in U.S. trade policy history to directly address currency manipulation.[133]

▪ Opposes efforts to manipulate currency as a way of gaining an unfair trade advantage. Supports new transparency, consultation, and enforcement provisions in trade agreements.[134]

Clean/Green Trade

▪ Trade policy does not address climate change issues.

▪ Commits to impose carbon adjustment fees or quotas on carbon-intensive goods from countries that are failing to meet their climate commitments. Will includes Paris climate commitments as part of future trade agreements.[135]

Promulgate an Advanced Manufacturing Strategy

▪ In 2018, released “Strategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing.”[136]

▪ Wants to offer tax credits to entice U.S. firms to move factories out of China.[137]

▪ Calls for development of a comprehensive “manufacturing and innovation strategy.”[138]

Manufacturing USA

▪ DOE established a 15th Manufacturing USA Institute: “Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute: Cybersecurity in Energy-Efficient Manufacturing.”[139]

▪ FY 2021 budget calls for one new NIST (open competition) and one new Department of Defense Manufacturing USA Institute (focused on synthetic biology manufacturing. and funded with a $15 billion federal investment).

▪ FY 2021 budget would drop Department of Defense support for the eight public-private manufacturing innovation institutes established under the Manufacturing USA program by $105 million, a 63 percent decline.[140]

▪ Plans to keep Manufacturing USA at 15 institutes, but no stated plans to expand Manufacturing USA network.

▪ Proposes more than 50 communities to be chosen as technology hubs that would build on Manufacturing USA, combining new federal R&D investment with workforce development and business participation.[141]

Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)

▪ Trump administration budget requests have repeatedly called for zeroing out MEP funding.[142]

▪ Calls for quadrupling MEP funding (which would bring it close to $600 million annually).[143]

Regional Manufacturing Support

▪ No position.

▪ Expands “Manufacturing Innovation Partnerships” linking manufacturing institutes, universities and colleges, employers and unions, and state and local governments.[144]

Provide Capital to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) Manufacturers

▪ No position.

▪ Establishes a credit facility to supply capital to SME manufacturers to facilitate plant modernization and energy efficiency.[145]

Tax-Related Manufacturing Incentives

▪ No position (see tax section for general tax proposals).

▪ Would pass a “Manufacturing Tax Credit” that promotes revitalizing, renovating, or modernizing existing or recently closed manufactured facilities.[146]

Apprenticeships and Workforce Training

▪ Department of Labor, through the National Apprenticeship Act, expedited the development of apprenticeships by authorizing third-party organizations to approve new “industry-recognized apprenticeship programs,” or IRAPs.[147]

▪ Established the National Council for the American Worker, tasked with developing a workforce strategy for the jobs of the future.[148]

▪ Would expand registered apprenticeship training programs such as the Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship program.[149]

Opportunity Zones

▪ Revitalize distressed communities through Opportunity Zones, with the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council having taken more than 175 actions to encourage investment in such zones.[150]

▪ Supports Opportunity Zones approach, but calls for reforms, including mandatory impact reporting and adjustments to achieve greater racial equality.[151]

Combatting COVID-19

▪ Operation Warp Speed, which seeks to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021, has committed over $10 billion in funds for the development of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines.[152]

▪ Has refrained from developing a comprehensive national strategy to combat COVID-19, leaving more responsibility to U.S. states.

▪ FY 2022 budget request creates new R&D priority for “American Public Health Security and Innovation” which includes new funding for infectious-disease modeling, prediction, and forecasting, as well as diagnostic, vaccine, and therapeutic R&D.[153]

▪ Would see to it the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has necessary resources to ensure adequate production of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines.[154]

▪ Would introduce a comprehensive national strategy to address COVID-19, including ensuring adequate availability of testing kits nationwide and mandating mask-wearing.[155]

National Institutes of Health Funding

▪ Trump administration’s FY 2021 budget proposal (released in February 2020) called for 7 percent decrease in NIH funding (from $41 billion to $38.7 billion).[156]

▪ In March 2020, the administration requested an additional $440 million for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (and actual FY 2020 NIH funding became $41.7 with additional congressional appropriations).[157]

▪ Proposal for $300 billion in innovation funding calls for “major increases” in NIH funding, but specific amount not enumerated.[158]

Drug Pricing

▪ Wants to introduce “price controls on drugs that would cut the cost of a patient’s prescriptions by up to 70 percent.”[159]

▪ Proposes, for Medicare programs, limiting price increases for all brand, biotech, and “abusively priced generic drugs” to inflation.[160]

General Approach to Energy and Climate Policy

▪ Has promoted a strategy of “energy dominance,” emphasizing domestic energy supplies, the provision of affordable energy, and energy system resilience and reliability.[161]

▪ Has questioned whether climate change is occurring and whether it is caused by human activity.[162]

▪ Has rejected the Paris Climate Accord and expressed opposition to some clean energy technologies such as wind turbines.[163]

▪ Has supported policies that aid carbon-intensive technologies, such as coal power plants and higher-mileage vehicles.[164]

▪ Has called for achieving net-zero U.S. emissions by 2050, supported by $2 trillion of investment in clean energy and green infrastructure over his first term.[165]

▪ Has promoted innovation in a wide range of low-carbon energy technologies, and highlights the need for solutions for hard-to-abate sectors and negative emissions.[166]

Federal Investment in Energy R&D

▪ Has proposed cutting federal energy R&D funding significantly, including eliminating Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) and weakening support for “later-stage” applied R&D.

▪ Has proposed expanding R&D investment for select technologies, including grid modernization and coal power generation.[167]

▪ Has proposed $300 billion over four years for public R&D spending, including for clean energy.[168]

▪ Has called for increasing funding for DOE laboratories and associated regional innovation ecosystems. [169]

▪ Has recommended creating ARPA-C (i.e., “climate”), an initiative targeting “game-changing technologies to help America achieve our 100% clean energy target.”[170]

Federal Support for Clean Energy Commercialization and Deployment

▪ Has opposed many policies, such as tax incentives, that would accelerate adoption of clean energy technologies.[171]

▪ Has advocated “demand-pull” policies, including clean energy tax incentives, a price on carbon, and a technology-neutral energy efficiency and clean electricity standard.[172]

▪ Has argued for using federal procurement to drive demand for clean energy technologies as part of additional $400 billion spending government-wide, particularly for electric vehicles.[173]

Innovation-Inducing Sector-Specific Policies

▪ Has enacted policies that disincentivize clean energy innovation, including replacing the Clean Power Plan with a less stringent rule, rolling back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, and eliminating the use of the social cost of carbon in regulatory decision-making.[174]

▪ Has sought to reduce state government power to pursue clean electricity standards, zero-emission vehicle mandates, and other sector-specific climate policies.[175]

▪ Has defined emission-reduction goals for some major sectors, including decarbonizing the electric grid by 2035 and reducing building emissions by 50 percent.[176]

▪ Has advocated accelerating progress in key technologies, such as CCUS, that are needed to decarbonize all sectors of the economy, including industry and agriculture.[177]

Incorporating Environmental Justice into Clean Energy Innovation

▪ Has not prioritized environmental justice in policymaking.

▪ Has committed to ensuring disadvantaged communities receive 40 percent of benefits from clean energy and green infrastructure investments.[178]

Fostering Innovation in Domestic Clean Energy Supply Chains and Manufacturing

▪ Has imposed tariffs on solar panels and other clean energy technology imports, which has induced some new domestic manufacturing.[179]

▪ Has proposed eliminating DOE-funded Manufacturing USA Innovation Institutes.[180]

▪ Has developed the Energy Storage Grand Challenge, which seeks to build domestic supply chains for batteries and other storage devices and systems.[181]

▪ Has proposed $400 billion investment over 10 years to create industries of the future to achieve net-zero emissions.[182]

▪ Has supported public R&D to accelerate innovation in clean energy supply-chain resilience.[183]

▪ Has promoted using public-private partnerships to boost manufacturing capacity, such as the Manufacturing USA Innovation Institutes.[184]

▪ Has called for developing a national strategy for low-carbon manufacturing in every state.[185]

U.S. Role in Global Clean Energy Innovation

▪ Has set in motion U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.[186]

▪ Has sought to expand U.S. exports of nuclear power technologies and encouraged international cooperation on CCUS R&D.[187]

▪ Has encouraged nations participating in Mission Innovation to quadruple their clean energy R&D investments relative to the original baseline.[188]

▪ Has called for imposing carbon adjustment fees for imports from countries that do not meet their international climate obligations.[189]