Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) issued the following statement after the Senate passed bipartisan legislation she helped shape to bolster the United States’ international standing in the face of rising competitive pressure from the Chinese government and other foreign governments. The bill would provide over $100 billion in new funding for technology and research and development, and provide robust support to American entrepreneurs, small businesses, and manufacturing workers.
Senator Cortez Masto secured several important provisions in the legislation, including measures to help safeguard cutting-edge American research from foreign adversaries and improve U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.
“Nevada’s technology industry provides thousands of good-paying jobs and will help position our state for a bright future, but we have to make sure our state and nation are prepared to compete in our international economy,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “When it came time to negotiate this bill, I worked across the aisle to promote American research and development and protect our intellectual property rights. This bipartisan legislation will help our state attract additional industries, create more jobs, and boost our economic competitiveness on the world stage. ”
The United States Innovation and Competition Act includes over $100 billion in new funding for the development and implementation of cutting edge technology and research and development to support the United States’ competitive advantage over China and other foreign competitors. The bill sets aside 20% of this funding to build research capacity in states like Nevada that have historically received inadequate R&D funding.
Senator Cortez Masto is responsible for several bipartisan provisions in this legislation, including:
- Cortez Masto-Portman legislation to safeguard American research and help combat the growing threat of foreign governments, including China, working to access or subvert research conducted on U.S. soil.
- Cortez Masto-Daines legislation to protect American intellectual property from being stolen and manipulated by China and other with weak IP laws by enhancing current enforcement provisions.
Additionally, Cortez Masto secured passage of her bill to strengthen international women’s rights through requirements that nations trading with the U.S. implement worker and women’s rights standards.
Senators Cortez Masto has been a leader in the Senate, working to boost American competitiveness and counter the Chinese government’s efforts to influence technology, research, and labor standards. Her bipartisan legislation to help ensure the Chinese government isn’t exerting undue influence on international technology standards-setting was signed into law last year, and she has also passed bipartisan legislation to combat the rise of manipulated videos, known as deepfakes.
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