In Canton, Schumer says CHIPS Act will bring more manufacturing jobs to the North Country
New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Canton yesterday to talk about the new CHIPS and Science Act, which he co-wrote with Indiana Republican Senator Todd Young.
President Joe Biden signed the bill into law earlier this month. Schumer says it will support microchip manufacturing in the United States, and particularly here in New York.
Speaking outside the entrance to Corning, Inc.'s Canton facility on Monday, Schumer said the bipartisan law will support American industry with billions of dollars in incentives for companies to do microchip manufacturing in the United States.
"It makes the largest investment in American innovation and manufacturing in decades, and it's going to bring federal investment to every corner of New York. It's especially true for the $50 billion plus in incentives that will act as a lightning rod to make semiconductor chips here in America. And in upstate New York. Not overseas," Schumer said.
"The effort I've led in Washington to make investments in chips in the US will mean even more jobs and more growth here at Corning, right here in the North Country."
Schumer emphasized that these jobs will fall under the tech industry umbrella.
"The tech industry has become a ladder up helping folks reach the middle class with good paying jobs that sustain people's families," he said.
The specialized glass that Corning produces in Canton is one of the components needed to manufacture microchips. The Canton factory currently has about 350 employees, many of whom are locals.
Larry McRae is the Vice Chairman of Corning, Inc. He says the CHIPS and Science Act should allow the company to keep expanding job opportunities.
"We're working with the senator, as he mentioned, on opportunities for additional expansion to create more jobs at this facility," McRae said.
The Canton facility could increase its worker headcount by 20% in the next three years, McRae said.
Zvi Szafran, president of SUNY Canton, said the Corning factory is important to the community because it provides good jobs for local university graduates.
"We try to have students graduate in programs that lead directly to jobs. And so Corning is one of the big employers that hires our students," Szafran said.
Later yesterday afternoon, Schumer spoke in Lake Placid, New York about the measures to curb climate change contained in the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed into law two weeks ago.
