Speaker Mike Johnson is walking back comments that the GOP would “probably” try to repeal the CHIPS Act

The President of the Chamber Mike Johnson may have put a significant dent in the re-election hopes of one of the GOP’s most vulnerable congressional officials on Friday, and later walked back comments in which he said he would consider repealing the CHIPS Act.

Earlier in the day, at a campaign stop in Syracuse, New York, Johnson told reporters that Republicans “probably will” try to repeal semiconductor chip manufacturing package if they control Congress and former President Donald Trump wins the White House. The legislation is poised to bring a $100 billion microchip manufacturing center to the area where Johnson campaigned with GOP Rep. Brandon Williams.

“As I have explained and made clear below, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal,” Johnson later said in a statement. “On the contrary, there could be legislation that further simplifies and improves upon the primary purpose of the bill – to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements.”

At the campaign event, Williams — who faces a tough challenge from Democratic state Sen. John Mannion — chimed in to say he “reminds (Johnson) day and night how important the CHIPS Act is,” while Micron is preparing to inaugurate a factory in New York.

Williams said in a statement later Friday that he “spoke privately with the President immediately after the event. He apologized profusely, saying he had misheard the question.”

The CHIPS and Science Act was it passed in 2022 and will invest more than $200 billion over five years to help the U.S. regain its leadership in semiconductor chip manufacturing. The new funding was intended to help companies bring chip production back to the US and, as a result, help lower costs and prevent supply chain disruptions.

Earlier Friday, Johnson was asked by a reporter from Citrus TV News“The former president said he does not support the CHIPS and Science Act. You voted against it. If you have a Republican majority in Congress and Trump in the White House, will you try to repeal the law?”

“I expect we probably will, but we haven’t developed that part of the agenda yet,” Johnson said. “We have to get through the election first, and that’s why we’re so happy to be in New York’s 22nd. Brandon Williams is one of the most important races in the country, and that’s why Democrats are spending millions and millions and millions of dollars to try to dethrone him.”

After Williams defended the CHIPS Act, which he described as “a huge impact here,” Johnson then said, “When you have an issue where you have to build consensus, because different states have different perspectives on these things , you must have someone who is a strong supporter of this legislation. People are listening to Brandon Williams. If this is an important thing for your district, you need this guy there to make that case.”

Johnson later said his objection to the CHIPS Act was related to other programs that were included in the bill. “We will support chip manufacturing, we do not support the Green New Deal. When you separate those two things, it makes it a lot simpler,” he said.

Democrats immediately pounced on the blunder. The “Kamala HQ” account on X posted a video of the exchange, with Mannion commenting: “Trump wants to dismantle, Johnson is in step, Williams calls it corporate welfare.”

“In Congress, I will defend CHIPS and Science and keep investment coming home to (Central New York) and the Mohawk Valley,” Mannion wrote.

Williams was not yet in Congress when the bill was passed, but he criticized it on the 2022 campaign.

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