ON THE HEELS OF DELIVERING HIS HISTORIC FEDERAL INVESTMENT’S FOR CHIPS, SCIENCE, AND TECH INNOVATION, SCHUMER VISITS CORNING INCORPORATED TO BREAKDOWN HOW HIS BILL WILL KEEP CORNING GROWING IN UPSTATE NY AND HELP ONE OF THE SOUTHERN TIER’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS REACH NEW HEIGHTS

Semiconductor Chips Are Integral To Everyday Life From Cars To Refrigerators, But Most Are Not Made In The U.S. Threatening National Security, Worsening Inflation and Increasing Costs For Families, & Weakening U.S. Competitiveness

Schumer’s Historic Billions In Fed Investment For R&D, Innovation, and American Chip Manufacturing Will Boost Companies Like Corning Incorporated, Spur Research And Manufacturing Training Programs Across Campuses From SUNY Corning To Binghamton University, And More

Schumer: CHIPS & Science Bill Will Keep Corning Incorporated At The Forefront Of Innovation And Keep The Southern Tier Soaring! 

After years of relentless advocacy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s historic CHIPS And Science 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. Standing with Corning Incorporated leaders, Schumer explained how his bill will help keep the U.S. on the cutting-edge of innovation, train a new generation of tech and manufacturing workers, lower costs for families, address inflation, strengthen national security, and boost microchip manufacturing in America. Schumer said that for Corning Incorporated the funding in his bill will help bolster their operations in every corner of the state as one of the nation’s leading innovation companies that helps support the semiconductor industry, and will provide critical funding that can help train the next generation of Corning manufacturing workers in the Southern Tier.

“Corning Incorporated is the beating heart of the Southern Tier’s economy and when we help them invest in the industries of the future it means good-paying jobs that last generations. My Chips And Science Bill, that was just signed into law this week is the largest investment in decades in the future of innovation and manufacturing, from semiconductors and 5G to other critical technology, and Corning Incorporated stands to benefit from just about every part of this bill, whether it be directly or through its business lines,” said Senator Schumer. “This legislation will spur a major expansion of the domestic semiconductor industry, with new chip fabs that are built being supported by parts made by Corning Incorporated, expanding Corning’s market and New York jobs along with it! This bill will also deliver major new investment in STEM education and training to produce a new generation of Corning innovators. When you invest in technology you are investing in people’s futures, you are investing in communities, and no company is more emblematic of that than Corning and I am proud to have championed this legislation for them and all their Southern Tier workers.” 

"We're grateful for Majority Leader Schumer’s leadership in passing this bipartisan legislation to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. Corning’s advanced optics materials and products – made at our facilities in Fairport and Canton, New York –and research at Sullivan Park in Corning are supporting the growing semiconductor industry. Coupled with continued investments in the industry, we believe the passage of this critical legislation will further increase the resilience of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain,” said Wendell P. Weeks, Chairman and CEO, Corning Incorporated.

Corning is one of the largest employers in New York, with over 7,000 employees across the state, including 6,000 in the Southern Tier. Schumer explained that anticipation of federal investment in his bill and the tremendous impact it will have on the tech industry have already spurred growth for Corning Incorporated. Just last month, Schumer helped announce a  $139M, 270 job expansion in Monroe County by Corning Incorporated to support optic technology, which is critical in the chip manufacturing industry. Schumer said that with further expansion of domestic semiconductor production, more and more companies will be relying on Corning Incorporated, for their expertise in innovation, glass, and specialty tech to support their growth.

In addition, Schumer said the bills increased investment for National Science Foundation (NSF) Research and Development Programs, including through a new technology directorate as proposed in Schumer’s original bipartisan Endless Frontier Act, and STEM education and training programs will help train the next generation of Corning’s workforce in the Southern Tier. Schumer said that major research institutions like Binghamton University and technical training schools like SUNY Corning Community College are in a strong position to compete for this investment which will boost a series of new programs, including programs for STEM education for underrepresented populations, including for rural communities like the Southern Tier, and skilled technical education to prepare workers for tech and manufacturing jobs like those at Corning Incorporated.

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 capacity of Valor® Glass vials for the rapid production and secure delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines and other critical drugs. Later that year, Corning was also awarded an additional $57 million from BARDA to further increase the domestic manufacturing capacity of pharmaceutical glass tubing and vials to support the accelerated mass vaccination effort.

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