Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Proponents of the CHIPS and Science Act say the law has the potential to help stabilize the country's democracy.
Why it matters: In recent elections, where politicians say core democratic values are on the line, backers of the law see an opportunity to connect the dots between economic prosperity and a restoration of people's faith in institutions.
What they're saying: "This concept of a flyover state — people think that there's nothing, that technology only happens in Silicon Valley, but it's happening everywhere," former Economic Development Administration assistant secretary Alejandra Castillo told Axios.
- "And there's nothing more that insults the soul than when people are not seen and this program lets us put a magnifying glass on these places."
- Those are the places where industries have left people without jobs and people are the most politically "torn apart," Castillo, a fall 2024 Institute of Politics fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, continued.
- "So bringing back opportunities — I think that this is going to be not just a big economic boost, but also a huge opportunity to really shore up our democracy."
The bottom line: CHIPS gets tied to lofty goals from national security to protecting the environment, but the government has a long way to go to prove to communities across the country the investments will bear fruit.
