Young’s Endless Frontier Act Passes the Senate

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Todd Young’s (R-Ind.) Endless Frontier Act, a landmark bill to out-compete China in key emerging technology areas critical to our national security, passed the Senate today by a vote of 68-32. The bill, which was reintroduced in April, now heads to the House.

“Americans have always looked towards the frontier and forward to new horizons. This bill, this moment, it’s not only about beating the Chinese Communist Party; the Endless Frontier Act is about using their challenge to become a better version of ourselves through investment in innovation. I’m proud the Senate voted to advance this bill to outcompete China and invest in the U.S. Let history record that, at this moment, we stood united. That by confronting the challenges of today, we built a brighter tomorrow for Americans. That a new generation of doers and dreamers pressed America on, once again, towards the endless frontier – through the Endless Frontier Act,” said Senator Young. 

Earlier last month, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, favorably reported the bill by a strong bipartisan vote of 24-4. A substitute amendment on the Senate floor then incorporated contributions from a variety of other Senate committees on related policy issues, under the new bill title of the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) of 2021. Click here for a summary of the substitute amendment.

Two weeks ago, Senator Young touted his Endless Frontier Act on the Senate floor. To watch his remarks, click here.

In addition to the Endless Frontier Act, a number of other provisions championed by Senator Young were incorporated in the final USICA, including:

• Global Economic Security Strategy: Based on the belief that global stability and the national security of the United States depend in large part on a vibrant, growing, and secure economy, the provision would require the U.S. to prepare a strategy to promote and protect our economic security by responding in the most effective manner possible to international predatory economic practices.
• Bill to Investigate China’s Influence in Multilateral Organizations: As China’s influence grows in international organizations, the risk grows that China will undermine rather than advance multilateral solutions to pressing global challenges, such as human rights abuses, nuclear proliferation, pandemic disease, global economic crises, and climate change. The provision would require intelligence reports on Chinese objectives, tactics, and influence in international organizations.
• Democracy Technology Partnership Act: The provision would establish a U.S. interagency office at the State Department, tasked with creating a partnership among democratic countries to help set international standards and norms, conduct joint research, and coordinate export controls and investment screening on emerging and critical technologies.
• Strategic Competition Act of 2021: One of the provisions in this division of theUSICA would create an intra-parliamentary working group to link legislators from the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, collectively known as the “Quad,” to facilitate progress in key areas of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty (Taiwan SOS) Act: Provision would allow diplomats and service members in the Taiwanese military to display their flag and wear their uniforms while in the United States on official businesses.
• Trade Act of 2021: This amendment contains several trade priorities supported by Senator Young including providing tools to the U.S. Trade Representative to address China’s censorship and intellectual property violations, establishing a formal process to consider Section 301 exclusions, reauthorization of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill and an improved Generalized System of Preferences, and efforts to combat the use of forced labor.
• A proposal to establish an online toolkit and database to support supply chain mapping (Young Amdt. #1983 was included in Crapo Amdt. #1562 (Trade Act of 2021), as modified and adopted).
• Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act: This bill would equip students with foreign language and international education to enhance our national security and global competitiveness.