CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Corning Friday afternoon to talk about the newly passed CHIPS And Science bill at Corning Incorporated.
The bill was signed into law this week to deliver the largest federal investment in manufacturing and innovation in decades, helping bring manufacturing back from overseas to places like Upstate New York and the Southern Tier.
Semiconductor chips are integral to everyday life from cars to refrigerators but most are not made in the U.S., thus threatening National Security, Worsening Inflation, Increasing Costs for families, and weakening U.S. competitiveness.
Schumer arrived at Corning Inc. just before 1 p.m. on Friday and made his way into the building and toured the facility, talking to many Corning employees, including Corning’s Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks. Schumer met with the media afterward to deliver a speech regarding the bill.
“Corning Incorporated is the beating heart of the Southern Tier’s economy,” Schumer said, “when we help them invest in the industries of the future it means good-paying jobs that last generations,” he said.
Corning is one of the largest employers in New York, with over 6,000 employees in the Southern Tier alone. Schumer explained that anticipation of federal investment in his bill and the tremendous impact it will have on the tech industry has already spurred growth for Corning Incorporated.
Schumer wasn’t the only one to speak at the event, Corning’s Chairman and CEO, Wendell Weeks, took a moment at the podium to praise Senator Schumer.
“We’re grateful for Majority Leader Schumer’s leadership in passing this bipartisan legislation to strengthen semiconductors manufacturing in the United States,” Weeks said.
Schumer has long been an advocate for helping Corning to grow its presence in the Southern Tier and Upstate New York. In June 2020, Schumer announced that Corning received over $204 million in federal funding, more than doubling employment at their Big Flats facility, thanks to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to expand Corning’s manufacturing of glass vials that would carry the COVID-19 vaccine.
