Biden seeks US $ 37 billion in funds to deal with the semiconductor chip crisis in the US

Global automotive manufacturers are currently in short supply of semiconductor chips. This forces the car manufacturers of the United States (US) and other countries to cut their production. 

The supply shortage has worried the White House. US President Joe Biden will step in to address the shortage by signing an executive order on Wednesday to review the chip supply chain in the US.

Biden said he would seek US $ 37 billion through the approval of the law to increase the cost of making chips. Chip shortages exacerbated by the pandemic were the subject of discussion between Biden and a bipartisan group of US lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday.

"I am directing senior officials in my administration to work with industry leaders to identify solutions to the semiconductor shortage. Congress has passed the bill but they need US $ 37 billion to ensure that we have this capacity. I will push for that too," Biden said. Wednesday (24/2).

The White House statement refers to steps to increase chip production capacity that are included in this year's National Defense Authorization Act but require a separate allocation process to raise funds.

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The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has urged the Biden government and Congress to take action by law to invest heavily in the manufacture and research of domestic chips.

The Biden executive order launched a 100-business day review of the supply chain for four key products: semiconductor chips, large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, rare earths and pharmaceuticals.

The order also directs a six-sector review, which mimics the process used by the Department of Defense to strengthen the defense industry's base. It will focus on the areas of defense, public health, communication technology, transportation, energy and food production.

Ford Motor Co said chip shortages could cut the company's production by 20% in the first quarter of this year. General Motors Co said it was forced to cut production at factories in the United States, Canada and Mexico and would reassess production plans by mid-March.

Ford praised Biden's plans on Wednesday and said in a statement. "It is imperative to our workforce, our customers and our business that we are committed to ending this shortage as quickly as possible," he said.

According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, US semiconductor companies account for 47% of global chip sales, but only 12% of global manufacturing is done in the US.

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US Seeks 14.5 million people to be injected with the Covid-19 vaccine per week

The White House coronavirus task force announced that it will increase vaccination rates across the United States (US), amid a decline in Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The White House's Covid-19 response coordinator, Jeffrey Zients, said it would seek to vaccinate 14.5 million people per week in the state, previously from 8.6 million last week, meaning a 70 percent increase.

"We are mobilizing a team to vaccinate residents," he explained. Earlier, US President Joe Biden took office on January 20 with a promise to vaccinate 100 million people within his first 100 days in office. Biden also asked Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of office, to help curb the spread of the virus. Many low-income Americans, Zients said, still don't have adequate access to masks.

The White House has also announced plans to distribute 25 million masks at community health centers, food banks and food kitchens from March to May. The FDA also announced that the J&J coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective in preventing severe cases and deaths.

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Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines currently administered in the US, the J&J vaccine only requires one dose. It also doesn't require storage in frozen conditions. The FDA announcement helped pave the way for a vaccine to be passed this weekend.

Trump is said to have made IDR 22.5 trillion during his 4 years as president of the US

Former US President Donald Trump is said to have made US $ 1.6 billion (Rp.22.5 trillion) during his four years in office. The news is based on a report issued by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

The group released their findings after examining the former president's publicly disclosed financial statements. While Trump admits to donating his salary during his tenure as US president, the business continues and he earns income.

CREW noted, the 45th president's income in the hospitality sector fell in 2020, mainly due to the corona virus. Even so, the former president can still pocket US $ 1.61 billion from the Trump Organization and from other lines of business.

The report noted that the 74-year-old former president made US $ 1.79 billion or Rp.25.2 trillion. However, reported The Independent , Tuesday (23/2), the data is still vague because there are assets that are included in the list, "More than 5 million US dollars".

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Her biggest income comes from properties that Melania's husband frequented during his four years in power. Among them are Mar-a-Lago, a club that is run in Palm Beach, Florida, then The Trump International Hotel in Washington DC.

Then the golf courses located in Doral (Florida), Bedminster which is located in New Jersey, to Trump National in Virginia. Combined, the sites have already provided more than US $ 620 million (Rp.8.7 trillion) over four years.

CREW argues that other income comes from businessmen or officials who pay dearly on Trump's property to be favored by the president. The group explained that because of Trump's influence, the US administration's business could be directed according to those who get the president's attention.

The report comes after the US Supreme Court ordered the former president to turn over his tax returns to New York prosecutors.

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