Angie Craig: “However, there is a common thread that drives technology in our lives, the everpresent semiconductor. Semiconductors are…”

“However, there is a common thread that drives technology in our lives, the everpresent semiconductor. Semiconductors are an increasingly pervasive aspect of everyday life, enabling the creation of the information superhighway and the functioning of everything from automobiles to advanced medical equipment. Semiconductors are also the linchpin of our national defense capabilities. For example, the current design of the F-16 fighter includes 17,000 electronics components. Mr. President, that is why I am offering an amendment today, with Senator Bingaman and 11 of our colleagues, that express the sense of the Senate that the United States-Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement should be renegotiated. The United States-Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement is due to expire in July of this year. This trade agreement has a successful track record in opening Japanese markets and discouraging the dumping of semiconductor products by Japanese companies in the United States.”