Is the recently announced compromise on gun safety a harbinger of more bipartisan agreements in the waning months of the 117th Congress? The fate of the America Competes Act, now stalled in a House-Senate conference committee, will be a key test.
Here’s the story so far. On May 27, 2020, bipartisan duos (Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Todd Young in the Senate, Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Mike Gallagher in the House) introduced the Endless Frontier Act, designed to remedy strategic shortfalls in U.S. innovation and competition. Bolstering domestic production of semiconductor chips was a key objective, as was boosting federal support for applied research.
