前众议员帕特里克·麦克亨利称，随着芯片价格攀升，《芯片法案》是“令人极度失望的”
2026年4月28日 美国东部时间早上6:00 / 福克斯新闻
作者：阿什利·奥利弗
共和党人警告称，他们兑现降低日常开支承诺的能力——这是他们在2026年中期选举前的核心竞选承诺之一——正受到人工智能驱动的芯片短缺的考验，这场短缺已蔓延至消费市场。
“当我们面临人工智能这样的重大竞赛时，会产生我们需要高度警惕的连锁效应，”曾担任众议院金融服务委员会主席的前众议员帕特里克·麦克亨利告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，并补充道，“这正在伤害共和党。”
几个月来，科技行业报告一直在就全球芯片短缺问题发出警告。今年1月的一份报告预测，今年生产的70%的高端存储芯片将用于存储人工智能内存的数据中心，这将限制所有其他下游技术的供应并推高价格，直接削弱共和党的负担得起的价格议程。
负担得起的价格：助力特朗普和共和党在2024年的议题在2025年失势
唐纳德·特朗普总统在2025年7月23日于华盛顿特区安德鲁·W·梅隆礼堂举行的“赢得人工智能竞赛”人工智能峰会上发表讲话。（安德鲁·卡巴列罗-雷诺兹/法新社）
“我们从手持设备、电脑到电视都能看到这种影响，”曾是北卡罗来纳州共和党众议员、现为政策顾问的麦克亨利在采访中表示，“甚至汽车行业也受到影响，就连我们认为不算特别高科技的日常用品，比如我们用来修剪草坪的工具，也受到芯片价格上涨的影响。因此消费品领域存在大量连锁效应，这应该是一个重大关切。”
临近2026年中期选举，唐纳德·特朗普总统将此次选举塑造成一场关于生活成本的全民公投，他在接受《政客》采访时表示，选举“将关乎定价”。
从历史上看，执政党会在中期选举中丢失席位。一位共和党策略师告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，人工智能在芯片市场占据主导地位的情况有据可查，这应该被视为会影响选民的钱包。这位策略师呼吁三大芯片制造企业扩大生产，称这将有助于强化共和党的竞选信息。
“美国必须在人工智能竞赛中获胜。三星、SK海力士和美光等公司都明白这一点，”这位策略师说，“与此同时，我们不能忘记消费品领域。存储芯片制造商需要提高产量，既能推动美国人工智能发展，又能降低消费品成本。如果他们不这么做，无疑会在中期选举中在政治上伤害共和党。共和党怎么能一边在2024年以‘降低成本’为竞选口号，一边又因为芯片生产不足导致2026年电脑和汽车价格上涨呢？”
特朗普抨击民主党人的“虚假负担得起的价格”主张——但深红州的共和党恐慌暗示选民并不买账
2023年3月21日，在波士顿，一部手机上显示着OpenAI的标志，背景电脑屏幕上显示着ChatGPT的输出内容。（迈克尔·德怀尔/美联社）
人工智能热潮增加了对存储芯片的需求，这类半导体组件用于数据中心、笔记本电脑和智能手机。
这种芯片消耗已在多个行业产生连锁反应。微软本月将其笔记本电脑价格上涨归因于“近期内存和组件成本的上涨”。康特波因特研究公司发现，智能手机市场仍“承压”，今年出货量下降6%，主要原因是芯片短缺。
俄亥俄州共和党参议员伯尼·莫雷诺曾是汽车经销商老板，他在本月的一封信中警告称，他的州正遭受芯片价格上涨带来的“直接且严重的”后果，汽车制造商表示最早可能在下个月开始停产。
虽然对于寻求在华盛顿保留控制权的共和党人来说，负担得起的价格一直是压倒性的优先议题，但人工智能进步也是特朗普议程的支柱。白宫去年在一项全面计划中宣称，美国正处于“争取全球人工智能主导地位的竞赛中”，并提到需要“振兴美国芯片产业”。
当被问及人工智能驱动的负担得起的价格担忧时，白宫发言人库什·德赛在给福克斯新闻数字频道的一份声明中表示，白宫正意识到这种冲突，并正在通过一项“细致入微”的经济计划进行平衡，其中包括特朗普标志性的全球关税——总统在最高法院以所谓全球经济紧急状态为由否决了他最初的关税实施计划后，对其进行了重组。
“半导体芯片对于从尖端人工智能技术到日常消费品的所有事物都绝对至关重要，这一事实只会强化特朗普总统推动振兴美国半导体产业的重要性，”德赛说，“数千亿美元的半导体制造业投资反映出，私营部门正热情响应政府的关税、放松管制和减税等细致入微且多方面的议程。”
凯文·奥尼尔警告中国在人工智能竞赛中“踢我们的屁股”，监管障碍阻碍美国发展
2022年8月9日，美国总统乔·拜登在华盛顿特区白宫南草坪举行的《2022年芯片与科学法案》签署仪式上发表讲话。（索尔·勒布/法新社）
供应紧张也引发了人们对两党《芯片法案》有效性的新质疑，这项拜登政府提出的法案旨在提振国内生产，防止如今市场正经历的这种短缺。
专攻金融科技政策的麦克亨利表示，这项向美国芯片制造业投入联邦补贴和税收优惠的数十亿美元计划《芯片法案》是“令人极度失望的”。麦克亨利表示，白宫在解决供应短缺问题上“还有大量工作要做”，国会改革是改善国内芯片生产的另一种途径。
“不幸的是，纳税人已经为《芯片法案》付了一次钱，现在又要因为消费品价格上涨第二次买单，”麦克亨利说，“共和党人需要在国会解决这个问题。他们需要完善《芯片法案》，这样总统才能动用这些工具来激励和扩大美国国内的芯片制造业。”
创立了一家成功的汽车安全公司的加利福尼亚州众议员达雷尔·伊萨在给福克斯新闻数字频道的一份声明中表示，他认为需要扩大芯片生产，并将其与消费者成本挂钩。
“美国在人工智能领域引领世界——我们要保持这一地位，就要释放国家的工业基础，前所未有地扩大芯片和内存生产，并降低人们日常支付的消费者成本，”他说。
这位国会议员表示，更多的芯片对于兑现共和党“机遇、繁荣和负担得起的价格”的承诺“至关重要”。
福克斯新闻数字频道已联系三星、SK海力士和美光的代表置评。
阿什利·奥利弗是福克斯新闻数字频道和福克斯商业频道的记者，报道司法部和法律事务。可通过邮箱ashley.oliver@fox.com发送新闻线索。
AI boom tests GOP’s midterm affordability pitch as price pain spreads
Former Rep Patrick McHenry says the CHIPS Act has been a ‘grave disappointment’ as chip prices climb
April 28, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News
By Ashley Oliver
Republicans are warning that their ability to deliver on lowering everyday costs, one of their core campaign promises heading into the 2026 midterms, is being tested by an AI-driven chip shortage that has spilled into consumer markets.
“When you have a big race like we have with AI, there are secondary effects that we need to be very concerned about,” former Rep. Patrick McHenry, who served as House Financial Services Committee chairman, told Fox News Digital, adding, “It is hurting Republicans.”
Tech industry reports have for months been raising alarm over a global chip shortage. In January, a report predicted that this year, 70% of the high-end memory chips produced would go toward data centers, which store AI memory, constraining all other downstream technology and driving up prices, directly undermining Republicans’ affordability agenda.
AFFORDABILITY: THE ISSUE THAT BOOSTED TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS IN 2024 DEFLATED THEM IN 2025
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the “Winning the AI Race” AI Summit at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 2025.(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)
“We see this from our handheld devices to our computers, to TVs,” McHenry, a North Carolina Republican congressman turned policy advisor, said in an interview. “Even autos are impacted, and even things such as what we think of as average everyday things that aren’t particularly high-tech, like the things we use to manicure our lawns are impacted by rising prices of chips, so there’s a lot of secondary effects across consumer goods and should be a huge concern.”
Heading into 2026, President Donald Trump framed the midterms as a referendum on cost of living, saying in a Politico interview the elections “will be about pricing.”
Historically, the party in control loses seats during the midterms. One Republican strategist told Fox News Digital that AI’s well-documented dominance over the chip market should be viewed as hurting voters’ pocketbooks. The strategist called on the three largest chip manufacturing companies to expand production, which he said would help bolster the GOP’s campaign message.
“America must win the artificial intelligence race. Companies like Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron understand that,” the strategist said. “At the same time, we can’t forget about consumer goods. Memory chip manufacturers need to increase production to boost both American AI and lower the cost of consumer goods. If they don’t, it will undoubtedly hurt Republicans politically in the midterms. How can Republicans campaign on ‘lower costs’ in 2024, but see computer and car prices rise in 2026 due to a lack of chip production?”
TRUMP TORCHES DEMS’ ‘FAKE AFFORDABILITY’ PITCH – BUT GOP PANIC IN DEEP RED STATE HINTS VOTERS AREN’T BUYING IT
The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying ChatGPT output in Boston on March 21, 2023.(Michael Dwyer/AP)
The AI boom is increasing demand for memory chips, which are semiconductor components used in data centers, laptops and smartphones.
That chip consumption has rippled across industries. Microsoft this month attributed its rise in laptop prices to “recent increases in memory and component costs.” The smartphone market remained “under pressure,” with shipments down 6% this year, largely because of chip shortages, Counterpoint Research found.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, previously a car dealership owner, warned in a letter this month his state was seeing “immediate and severe” consequences of rising chip prices and that automakers have said they could begin halting assembly lines as early as next month.
While affordability has been a resounding priority for Republicans seeking to retain control in Washington, AI advancements are also a pillar of Trump’s agenda. The White House declared last year in a sweeping plan that the country was in “a race to achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence” and cited the need for a “revitalized U.S. chip industry.”
Asked about the AI-driven affordability concerns, White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in a statement that the White House was cognizant of the clash and balancing it with a “nuanced” economic plan, which includes Trump’s signature worldwide tariffs, which the president restructured after the Supreme Court struck down his initial plan implementing them in the name of what he said was a global economic emergency.
“The fact that semiconductor chips are absolutely critical for everything from cutting-edge AI technology to everyday consumer goods only reinforces the importance of President Trump’s push to reinvigorate America’s semiconductor industry,” Desai said. “Hundreds of billions in semiconductor manufacturing investments reflect how the private sector is enthusiastically responding to the Administration’s nuanced and multi-faceted agenda of tariffs, deregulation and tax cuts.”
KEVIN O’LEARY WARNS CHINA ‘KICKING OUR HEINIES’ IN AI RACE AS REGULATORY ROADBLOCKS STALL US
President Joe Biden speaks during a signing ceremony for the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 9, 2022.(Saul Loeb/AFP)
The strain on supply is also raising new questions about the effectiveness of the bipartisan CHIPS Act, a Biden administration bill designed to boost domestic production and prevent precisely the kind of shortage markets are now seeing.
McHenry, who specializes in fintech policy, said the CHIPS Act, a multibillion-dollar effort to pour federal subsidies and tax incentives into U.S. chip manufacturing, has been a “grave disappointment.” McHenry said both that the White House had “a lot more work” to do to address the supply shortage and that congressional reforms were another way to improve domestic chip production.
“Unfortunately for the taxpayer, they paid for the CHIPS Act the first time, and now they’re paying for it a second time with the rising price of consumer goods,” McHenry said. “Republicans need to address this on Capitol Hill. They need to clean up the CHIPS Act, so the president can deploy these tools to incentivize and grow chip manufacturing here in the United States.”
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who founded a successful car security company, said he sees a need for chip production expansion, tying it to consumer costs, in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“America leads the world in AI — and we stay there by unleashing the nation’s industrial base, ramping up chip production and memory as never before and lowering the consumer costs people pay every day,” he said.
The congressman said more chips were “essential” to delivering on the GOP’s promises of “opportunity, prosperity and affordability.”
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron for comment.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.