Harris blasts House Speaker Johnson for CHIPS Act repeal 'gaffe'; says Republicans’ agenda hurts Americans

United States Vice President Kamala Harris criticised USHouse Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday (Nov 1)after he mentioned he would “probably” work to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act during a campaign event. Johnson later retracted his statement, explaining in a joint message with Representative Brandon Williamsthat he had “misheard” the question.

Speaking to reporters in Milwaukee, Harris addressed the issue directly, “I also want to speak to the comments that have been recently made by the speaker of the House. It is just further evidence of everything that I’ve actually been talking about for months now, about [former President Donald] Trump’s intention to implement Project 2025.”

“It is my plan and intention to continue to invest in American manufacturing,” Harris continued.

Harris responded to Johnson’s retraction, saying, “Let’s be clear why he walked it back. Because it’s not popular. And their agenda is not popular.”

In a statement from her campaign, Harris’rapid response director, Ammar Moussa, also criticised the House Speaker's comments, framing them as part of a broader conservative agenda. “His and Donald Trump’s closing argument is clear: cut billions in key investments, ship American jobs overseas, and end the Affordable Care Act,” Moussa said.

Moussa added, “Vice President Harris is running to bring manufacturing jobs back to America and make us competitive globally. The only way to guarantee these Republicans never get a chance to repeal these laws that are creating jobs and saving Americans money is to elect her President.”

Johnson’s initial comments came during a New York event with Representative Williams. Duringthe event, the House Speaker suggested Republicans might repeal the CHIPS Act, to which the New York representative responded by stressing the law’s importance, particularly for his constituency, describing the CHIPS Act as “hugely impactful.”

Williams vowed to “remind” Johnson of the law’s significance “night and day.”

“My job is to keep lobbying on my side,” New York Representative Williams added. “That’s why I crossed the aisle and supported many things against leadership. But that’s our partnership, that’s how we’re going to get through it.”

Although Johnson later clarified his stance, Democrats have been quick to use his comments as campaign material, drawing attention to the potential repercussions of repealing the CHIPS Act.

(With inputs from agencies)