NH Delegation Applauds Finalization of $35 Million in CHIPS Funding Headed to BAE Systems
(Nashua, NH) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Subcommittee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), applauded the finalization of a $35.5 million federal award to BAE Systems to increase defense manufacturing and improve our national security. The funds will help modernize BAE’s Microelectronics Center in Nashua, New Hampshire, which is designated as a Trusted Foundry by the U.S. Department of Defense and ensures the U.S. government has access to leading microelectronics technologies. This award is allocated through the CHIPS for America program, part of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act that Senators Shaheen and Hassan developed and helped get signed into law.
“The CHIPS and Science Act is helping businesses like BAE Systems modernize and innovate, which strengthens our national security by helping ensure that our military has access to essential, American-made semiconductor technology,” said Senator Shaheen. “This infusion of federal funding will strengthen our national security and reaffirm New Hampshire’s integral role in the nation’s defense manufacturing industry for years to come.”
“Federal funding to expand production in Nashua of critical components for military aircraft is yet another way that the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act continues to strengthen both our economy and our national security,” said Senator Hassan. “I worked with my colleagues to help develop and pass the CHIPS and Science Act into law to support innovative projects like this one which will modernize BAE’s Microelectronics Center, and help to ensure that New Hampshire and the United States maintain our technological and military edge.”
“The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act continues to deliver for New Hampshire and our economy—positioning our state as a leader in manufacturing advanced technologies that support our national security and reduce our reliance on international supply chains,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “This award will help BAE Systems modernize its microelectronics center in Nashua, bolstering our national defense while equipping Granite Staters with the in-demand skills they need to succeed in the 21st-century economy, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact these investments will have on New Hampshire in the years to come.”
“Domestic manufacturing of semiconductors protects our national security, strengthens our supply chains, and creates more good-paying jobs in our growing tech industry,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’m glad to see these awards finalized that will support New Hampshire’s BAE Systems and its work producing critical semiconductors. I’ll continue listening to the needs of our local manufacturers and workforce as New Hampshire continues to be an epicenter of technology, innovation, and manufacturing.”
Last year, Shaheen, Hassan and Pappas joined U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to visit BAE Systems to announce the signing of a preliminary memorandum of terms for the award.
The CHIPS for America program aims to bolster the Unites States’ economic and national security interests through investments in the U.S. workforce to forward domestic chip and semiconductor production and eliminate reliance on international manufacturers. In addition to modernization efforts, BAE Systems plans to utilize this funding in part to work alongside Nashua Community College (NCC) to create and implement a workforce training program.
Senator Shaheen is a leader in the U.S. Senate to bolster the domestic defense industrial base to ensure U.S. troops have the cutting-edge equipment they need to defend the nation and deter adversaries. Last August, Shaheen visited BAE Systems to highlight how she is working to secure additional funding for New Hampshire’s defense industrial base, as well as discuss how the CHIPS and Science Act is helping produce microchips, an essential part of the defense industry and critical to national security.
Senator Hassan has worked to invest in American research and manufacturing, and helped lead efforts to draft and pass the CHIPS and Science Act that will strengthen supply chains, lower costs and outcompete countries like China by investing in American research and manufacturing, especially for semiconductors.
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