Rep. Drazan: Statement on billion CHIPS investment loss

REPUBLICAN LEADER CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON REGULATION FOLLOWING BILLION CHIPS INVESTMENT LOSS
By Oregon House Leader Christine Drazan,

SALEM, Ore. – House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) released the following statement following the announcement that Governor Kotek and her team failed to secure essential federal investment in Oregon’s semiconductor industry prior to year-end, under the Biden administration:

“The criteria for CHIPS Act R&D site selection was not simply, ‘do you have dirt to build on?’ The fact that Oregon is likely to have missed out on nearly a billion dollars’ worth of investments and good-paying jobs means that competing states not only had available land, but they also had the ecosystem to support the investment long term. We did not.

“Oregon has earned a reputation as one of the most anti-business states in the nation. We have thrown more money at bike lanes than we have invested in tax credits for research and development. We have focused more on enabling drug use than investments in higher education. Our leaders continue to pursue fiscal policies that make Oregon unserious as a competitive economic powerhouse. This was made abundantly clear when we attempted to compete head to head with states who are serious about investment and growth. Our beautiful state is squandering its potential as business leaders and everyday Oregonians alike tell politicians that our state has become unaffordable and over-regulated – yet their concerns fall on deaf ears.

“Governor Kotek’s oppositional approach to the incoming Trump administration makes it even more unlikely she will work with them in pursuit of a much-needed transformational investment in Oregon’s economy. This will hamstring Oregon for a generation as Kotek and her colleagues look for opportunities to spit and claw at the incoming administration rather than work with whoever is in the White House to serve the needs of all Oregonians.

“To take the first step in turning our state around, I am calling on Governor Kotek to issue a moratorium on new regulations and roll back existing regulations that are uniquely impacting affordability and investment in Oregon’s economy.”