Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement after President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address.
 
“In his State of the Union Address, President Biden highlighted the progress we have made over the past year to combat COVID-19 and recover economically and made a clear case for what more must be done in the year ahead. When President Biden’s term began in 2021, the majority of Americans were not yet vaccinated and federal support for many families and businesses was running out. Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s vaccination program, over 200 million Americans have been vaccinated, a number that continues to climb. The American Rescue Plan passed by Congressional Democrats provided a lifeline to individuals, small businesses, and communities – leading to a historic economic recovery in the U.S.
 
“Building on the success of the past year, President Biden laid out an optimistic vision for the future of our economy based on the facts. In 2021, our gross domestic product grew by 5.7 percent – the fastest growth since 1984 – making the United States the first advanced economy in the world to reach pre-pandemic GDP levels. We created 6.6 million jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped from 6.4 percent to around 4 percent, representing the biggest single year drop in our country’s history. The United States economy has not only recovered but has come back stronger in many ways, including the long overdue rise in wages for many workers.
 
“The President’s address reflects his commitment to the issues that matter to the American people: access to good jobs with fair wages and better benefits, lower costs for things like child care, and a safe and sustainable future. It is imperative that we follow through on the President’s remarks tonight to advance the pillars of his agenda that prioritize lower costs for American families and address the climate crisis. The provisions from the Build Back Better agenda to combat climate change and promote clean energy will lower energy costs for families, reduce harmful emissions, put us on a path to eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels, and modernize our electric grid to be sustainable in the long-term.
 
“President Biden was also clear eyed about the challenges we face, namely Vladimir Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine. President Biden has joined other leaders around the world to swiftly condemn Putin’s invasion of this independent country and impose severe sanctions that will weaken and isolate Russia. Despite Putin’s attempts to divide the West, I remain confident in our strong network of partners and allies across the globe, and I look forward to continuing to work together towards a more stable, just, and peaceful world.
 
“I commend President Biden for his achievements in the past year, for bringing us out of one of the worst economic crises we have seen in our nation’s history and for bringing us into a future of opportunity and possibility. I look forward to my continued work with the Administration in the year ahead to deliver for the people of Washington’s Ninth District and all Americans.”
 
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SEATTLE, WA – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement regarding the months-long unfair labor practice strike taking place across King County by members of the Teamsters Local 174 Union. The ongoing strike against the region’s six major concrete suppliers has resulted in thousands of layoffs.
 
“For nearly ten weeks now, workers across King County have demanded better wages and benefits from their employers. Amidst thousands of workers being laid off, it has been reported that employers are now refusing to come to the bargaining table. This standstill comes at the expense of working people and hurts families. The actions by employers seem to indicate a greater interest in undermining unions rather than coming to the table to negotiate in good faith.
 
“For far too long, we have seen large corporations prioritize their own profits and shareholders at the expense of workers. That is why we have seen an increase in strikes across the country by workers demanding fair pay, better benefits, and a safer workplace. I firmly believe in the right to organize and the importance of unions for American workers, their families, and the strength of our economy. I am fighting in Congress to protect collective bargaining rights and strengthen worker protections.
 
“The failure to a reach a resolution in King County means that many transportation projects across the county – such as the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge and numerous Sound Transit projects – are at a standstill. This ultimately damages our community at a time when the region’s transportation infrastructure network is in desperate need of improvements. I urge the employers to come back to the table in good faith so that the parties can reach an agreement to get workers fair pay and benefits and projects moving forward again.”
 
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WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement after President Biden signed an Executive Order that will require federally funded construction projects over $35 million to use project labor agreements (PLAs), which are pre-hiring collective bargaining agreements, with one or more union organizations.
 
“I have long advocated for greater utilization of project labor agreements in federal contracts, and today President Biden took a significant action with his executive order to support American workers. PLAs have immense benefits for the government, taxpayers, and our workers, as well as a proven record of raising workplace standards. These agreements reduce the level of uncertainty associated with these large-scale projects – like cost increases and schedule delays – while ensuring that our skilled workforce secures good pay, benefits, and job conditions for these important projects. I am glad the Biden-Harris administration took concrete action to ensure broader implementation of PLAs and I will continue to advocate for the expansion of this tool in the federal government.”
 
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WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act of 2022, a package of bills that will invest in American workers, manufacturing, research, and innovation to power our economy and bolster our competitiveness, by a vote of 222 to 210.
 
“The legislation passed by the House today addresses some of our most pressing challenges by bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., supporting American workers, strengthening supply chains, promoting international cooperation, and putting the U.S. at the forefront of technology and innovation. The America COMPETES Act takes a comprehensive approach to ensure that we can continue to be a leader on global challenges in the future.
 
“The America COMPETES Act invests tens of billions of dollars to jumpstart domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and strengthens our supply chains, bringing good paying jobs to the U.S. and supporting critical industries such as automobiles, health care, and clean energy. The bill is a win for America’s workers. It reauthorizes and strengthens Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and includes the National Apprenticeship Act, which will create a million new apprenticeship opportunities in the next five years. It improves the way the federal government can support research and innovation across the country in areas like technology, climate change and energy, health care, and cybersecurity.    
 
“I am especially proud to have successfully included my bill, the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021, in this package of legislation. For years we have worked to advance this bill and passage in the House marks important progress to finally provide much needed certainty to impacted adoptees and ensures that these individuals have full access to their rights as American citizens.
 
“I am proud of the House for passing this comprehensive legislative package that promotes a strong future by investing in our economy and workforce and spurring innovation and competitiveness. I look forward to working with my colleagues to reach an agreement in the Senate on a final bill.” 
 
BACKGROUND
The America COMPETES Act of 2022 makes historic investments to surge production of American-made semiconductors, tackles supply chain vulnerabilities to make more goods in America, turbocharges America’s scientific research and technological leadership, and strengthens America’s economic and national security at home and abroad. 
 
Read the fact sheet of the bill here.
Read the section-by-section analysis of the bill here.
 
The final text of the America COMPETES Act includes the following.
 
Growing U.S. Manufacturing, Promoting Jobs, Strengthening Supply Chains
The America COMPETES Act makes investments to stimulate domestic manufacturing, allowing more goods to be made right here in the U.S., supports the creation of domestic job growth by promoting competitive wages and benefits, and authorizes funds to help identify and address supply chain disruptions and strengthen our supply chains overall.
  • Establishes the CHIPS for America Fund. Includes $52 billion for CHIPS for America Act which will incentivize private-sector investments and continued American leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and ensure that more semiconductors are produced right here at home. Semiconductors are critical components in the manufacturing of cars, trucks, health care devices, consumer electronics, and renewable energy. Importantly, the House-passed bill includes guardrails to ensure corporations are using this funding to grow manufacturing and jobs right here in the U.S.
  • Authorizes $45 billion to improve our nation’s supply chains and strengthen our economy and national security by preventing shortages of critical goods and ensuring that more of these goods are made right here in the U.S.
 
Advancing American Scientific Research, Technology & Innovation
The America COMPETES Act makes major new investments in research and innovation that will lead to breakthrough discoveries for our nation.
 
  • Makes major new investments in every aspect of federal innovation and scientific research, including reforms to the Department of Energy Office of Science, National Science Foundation, and National Institute of Standards and Technology to accelerate advancements in emerging technologies, innovation, and clean energy.
  • Includes provisions to strengthen and expand our nation’s STEM workforce to better represent the diversity of our nation and meet the workforce needs in growing industries.
  • Establishes a regional technology and innovation hub program at the Department of Commerce – incentivizing collaborative partnerships between local governments, colleges and universities, private industry, non-profits, and community organizations to promote and support regional technology and innovation hubs.

Expanding Clean Energy and Combatting Climate Change
The America COMPETES Act invests in the fight against climate change by supporting research and innovation, which will advance the next generation of clean energy technology, while also promoting a global approach to tackling climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
 
  • Supports research to advance the next generation of energy storage, solar, hydrogen, critical materials, fusion energy, manufacturing, carbon removal, and bioenergy technologies, among many other areas.
  • Authorizes new clean energy programs, including a national clean energy incubator, to accelerate the commercial application of clean energy technologies and support small businesses and entrepreneurs working in clean energy.
  • Invests in domestic solar manufacturing and supply chains, incentivizing the new construction of solar manufacturing capacity and providing grants and direct loans to retool, retrofit or expand existing solar manufacturing facilities.
  • Authorizes $8 billion over the next two years for the Green Climate Fund to further international efforts in assisting developing countries with mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Promoting International Cooperation
The America COMPETES Act includes numerous provisions to promote international diplomacy, including strengthening partnerships and alliances and standing up for international human rights – reaffirming America’s global leadership.
 
  • Includes numerous provisions to strengthen and promote America’s leadership around the globe, including in such areas as investing in partnerships and alliances, investing in standing up for America’s values, expanding our investments in diplomacy, and promoting human rights.
  • Enables the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to expand its investment in projects to tackle challenges facing developing countries including health care, clean energy, food access, COVID-19, and economic security.

Supporting the American Workforce
The America COMPETES Act uplifts our workers by preserving existing collective bargaining agreements, supporting union organizing efforts, and providing workforce development and monetary support to workers who have lost their jobs due to trade.
  • Contains the National Apprenticeship Act of 2022, which would create nearly 1 million additional apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years. Registered Apprenticeships are one of the most successful approaches to workforce training, providing workers with paid, on-the-job training that leads to good-paying, in-demand jobs.
  • Includes Rep. Smith’s legislation to enable pre-apprenticeship programs to offer stipends to pre-apprentices to assist with the financial costs of participating in these programs such as housing, childcare, transportation, and more. This financial assistance will remove those barriers so workers can more easily obtain the initial credentials needed to enter an apprenticeship program and will ensure both pre-apprenticeship programs and apprenticeship programs are more widely accessible for individuals with barriers to employment.
  • Reauthorizes and strengthens Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which provides a lifeline of key workforce development services and monetary support to workers wo have lost their jobs due to trade. It modernizes TAA programs to ensure benefits reach the most severely affected communities and help ensure that the program helps address inherent racial disparities and inequities in our economy.
  • Authorizes a new competitive grant program operated by the U.S. Department of Education to support equitable access to postsecondary STEM pathways that expose students to high-quality STEM coursework, reduce college costs, and improve postsecondary credit transfers.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed his bill, H.R. 1593, the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021, which was included in the America COMPETES Act of 2022, a package of bills passed today in the House of Representatives by a vote of 222 – 210.
 
“Today, I am incredibly proud to say that my bill, the Adoptee Citizenship Act, was passed by the House of Representatives as part of the America COMPETES Act. This is a major step forward for many international adoptees who currently do not have U.S. citizenship. This bipartisan piece of legislation would finally grant citizenship to international adoptees who were brought to the United States as children but were never granted citizenship. These individuals grew up here and started careers and families, but through no fault of their own they never received citizenship and are living in uncertainty about their future. The Adoptee Citizenship Act will provide much needed certainty to affected adoptees, ensuring that these individuals have full access to their rights as American citizens.
 
“I appreciate the leadership of my co-leads on this legislation – Representative Curtis (R-Utah) and Senators Blunt (R-Mo.) and Hirono (D-Hawaii). And thank you to the numerous organizations, advocates, and impacted adoptees who continue to work tirelessly to build support for this issue. I look forward to working with my colleagues to keep this provision in the final agreement between the House and Senate.”
 
BACKGROUND
Families who adopted children from abroad were previously required to go through a lengthy process to naturalize and gain United States citizenship for their adopted children, in addition to the long, costly, and burdensome adoption process. Sometimes, the necessary paperwork was not entirely completed, and significant numbers of adoptees grew up for years unaware that they were living in the United States as non-citizens.
 
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) eliminated the need for many adoptive families to apply to naturalize their newly adopted children. This law grants automatic citizenship to all foreign-born children brought to the United States under the age of 18 and have at least one parent who is a U.S. Citizen. It applied to all future adoptees as well as those under the age of 18 who were adopted prior to the CCA’s effective date.
 
Unfortunately, the 2000 CCA law only applied to future adoptees, and adoptees who were under the age of 18 on its effective date; it did not apply retroactively to those adoptees who faced the same dilemma but aged into adulthood before the CCA took effect. For these international adoptees, the U.S. is the place they grew up and the place they call home. Yet, through no fault of their own, they never received their citizenship and are living in uncertainty about their future.
 
The Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021 introduced by Representatives Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) corrects this gap in the law by confirming international adoptees’ U.S. citizenship status, regardless of if they were over the age of 18 when the CCA took effect.
 
Read the full text of the amendment here.
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