Speaker Johnson does clean up on CHIPS Act repeal question

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) quickly backtracked after saying at a campaign event on Friday that he would “probably” move to try to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act, marking the second time in a week that the Speaker had to clean up a campaign trail comment.

Syracuse University student journalist Luke Radel asked Johnson at a campaign event with Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) if he would move to repeal the CHIPS Act — a $280 billion measure intended to boost domestic CHIPS manufacturing and fund scientific research — if Republicans win total control of Washington, noting that Johnson voted against the bill himself. 

“I expect that we probably will. But we haven’t developed that part of the agenda yet. We got to get over the election first,” Johnson said. 

Williams, one of the House GOP’s most vulnerable incumbent members this cycle, awkwardly contradicted the Speaker when asked if he would vote to repeal the CHIPS Act.

“No. Obviously, the CHIPS Act is hugely impactful here,” Williams said. “My job is to keep lobbying on my side. That’s why I crossed the aisle and supported many things against leadership. But that’s our partnership, that’s how we’re going to get through it.”

The CHIPS Act is important in the central New York congressional district, with funding from the legislation flowing to a $100 billion Micron Technology project to build a chipmaking facility in the suburbs of Syracuse.

Johnson went on to say that “different states have different perspectives on these things” and that if the legislation is important to Williams’ district, then the voters need him in Washington “to make that case” — praising him as a “work horse.” 

And Johnson said that while former President Trump and “all the Republicans in Congress” support money for domestic chip manufacturing, it had “too much crammed into it” and some “Green New Deal” measures that Republicans want to eliminate.

Williams and Johnson swiftly sent out a “clarification” press release cleaning up Johnson’s comments.

“I spoke privately with the Speaker immediately after the event. He apologized profusely, saying he misheard the question. He clarified his comments on the spot and I trust local media to play his full comments on supporting repatriation of chips manufacturing to America,” Williams said in a statement.

Johnson also said he is not planning on repealing the CHIPS law.

“As I have further explained and clarified, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal. To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill—to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements,” Johnson said in a statement.

But Democrats swiftly incorporated the clip into their campaign messaging.

“Most politicians usually go to a community promising to create jobs in the town they're visiting… Mike Johnson, ever the trendsetter, decided to visit a town and promise to kill jobs in that town. This is what losing the majority looks like,” DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton said in a statement.

The question came up in part because Trump criticized the CHIPS Act on Joe Rogan’s podcast last week, saying: “That chip deal is so bad.”

“We put up billions of dollars for rich companies,” Trump said.

It marks the second time this week that Johnson had to clarify remarks he made on the campaign trail that became fuel for Democrats.

At a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Monday when Johnson was asked about health care, he said health care reform would be a part of the agenda and that Trump is “going to go big” with regulatory reform.

When a person in the crowd asked, “No ObamaCare?” Johnson repeated, “No ObamaCare,” as he rolled his eyes and tilted his head, continuing: “The ACA is so deeply ingrained. We need massive reform to make this work, and we’ve got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”

Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika blasted out an NBC News report of the exchange, saying: “Speaker Mike Johnson is making it clear – if Donald Trump wins, he and his Project 2025 allies in Congress will make sure there is ‘no Obamacare.’”

Johnson, in a statement to The Hill, said that was a “dishonest” characterization from the Harris campaign.

“The audio and transcript make clear that I offered no such promise to end ObamaCare, and in fact acknowledged that the policy is ‘deeply ingrained’ in our health care system,” Johnson said in the statement. “

Still, House Republicans will always seek to reduce the costs and improve the quality and availability of health care for all Americans," he added. "Anyone who has been a patient or known a loved one who has struggled with health issues understands why this is so important.”