Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican Senator for Kentucky, gave the Democrats of the Senate as well as the White House a notice that his party is willing to kill the China bipartisan bill if Democrats continue to push for a climate, energy, and tax deal with Senator Joe Manchin. 

In a tweet that echoed throughout the US, McConnell declared his intent to hold the China bill captive awaiting his demands to be met by the Democrats. "Let me be perfectly clear: there will be no bipartisan USICA as long as Democrats are pursuing a partisan reconciliation bill,” the tweet read, referring to the bill's Senate acronym.

Let me be perfectly clear: there will be no bipartisan USICA as long as Democrats are pursuing a partisan reconciliation bill.

— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) June 30, 2022

Why it matters

The China bill, which several Republicans voted for back in May, includes approximately $50 billion for the domestic semiconductor industry and some $100 billion for the National Science Foundation. This bill, thus,  is a key priority for US Sen. Chuck Schummer and US President Joe Biden. Sen. McConnell is well aware of the importance of this bill and seems to not break a sweat regarding the possible political ramifications of perhaps destroying a bill that business leaders are urging Congress to act on.

For weeks, Senate Democrats have secretly worried that McConnell would make them pick between a scaled-back Build Back Better measure and billions of dollars to support the development of the US semiconductor sector and boost American technical competitiveness with China. Now his strategy is clear as he has publicly taken the bill hostage until his demands are met the US House faces another series of turmoil.

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