I'm a huge fan of the CHIPS Act, but most Americans have not heard of it [0].
That lack of noteriety is what protects it.
Doesn't hurt that most deal flow is in purple districts, so most shit-slingers tend to be far removed and shut up pretty quickly after a quick rebuke from Party Chairs about how close the election is.
Protects it? I think it makes it even more of a ripe target since nobody's heard of it and won't get up in arms about something they've not heard of. It's a low cost in political capital for them to undo it. Plus, if nobody has heard of it, they can definitely claim it as something they created and claim the victory in their echo chambers
It's too niche to be a wedge issue nationally, but most investment is primarily in purple districts which makes it dangerous for either party to oppose it without having a downstream impact in donations and even a primary challenge in 2 years.
Same reason why Brandon Williams quickly shut up Mike Johnson even though Mike Johnson could make his life in the GOP and the House hell (not all offices in the CBO have air conditioning despite hellish humidity) - he'd rather keep his seat (NY-22) even if it meant undermining his boss.
I'm a huge fan of the CHIPS Act, but most Americans have not heard of it [0].
That lack of noteriety is what protects it.
Doesn't hurt that most deal flow is in purple districts, so most shit-slingers tend to be far removed and shut up pretty quickly after a quick rebuke from Party Chairs about how close the election is.
[0] - https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000018f-3fe4-dc61-adff-7fe53...