“I called every other Republican in the Senate and said, ‘OK, where do we go from here?’” Raimondo recalled in an interview. “‘What’s the plan? It’s not dead, how do we keep it alive?’”
It was one of “many moments” when Raimondo said the more than $200 billion bill seemed dead, only to be brought back to life. It ultimately passed Congress last week and is set to be signed by President Biden into law on Tuesday. That was in no small part due to Raimondo herself, who, while not the most well known member of Biden’s Cabinet, has made herself an integral player on Capitol Hill.
In fact, in a deeply divided and partisan Washington, Raimondo is the rare politician who draws high praise from such disparate sources as conservative Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker and progressive “Squad” member Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib.
“Gina Raimondo might be the best appointment Joe Biden has made during his time in office,” Wicker said.
“I’ve never had a secretary this transparent,” said Tlaib.
Top congressional players on the bill touted Raimondo’s bipartisan and business sensibilities as a former venture capital executive as crucial in the negotiations on the legislation, which is designed to alleviate the nation’s supply chain issues by spurring semiconductor manufacturers to build factories in the United States.
“This bill would not become law without her work,” said Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and said he worked with Raimondo on the bill on a “daily, if not hourly, basis.”
“She’s been relentless,” Warner said.
Raimondo was able to translate negotiating skills honed during her time as governor of the smallest state in the union to the more intimidating US Capitol, where many Cabinet members rarely venture unless required to testify in front of committees.
Those who knew her in Rhode Island are unsurprised, recalling her as a treasurer and governor who, once set on a goal, was driven to meet it, even when it dismayed some in her own party. Even some who opposed her developed a begrudging respect for her, as someone who was always communicative and willing to cut deals or change strategies.
One former sparring partner of hers over pension reform, Robert A. Walsh Jr., the former executive director of the National Education Association of Rhode Island, also used the word “relentless” to describe Raimondo, laughing loudly when asked how Raimondo works when she has her mind set on something.
“She is single-minded and deeply focused, and she does work the phones,” Walsh said. “I have friends whose names I will not disclose who were often her first calls, and it was early in the morning.”
Charged by Biden with reinvigorating manufacturing and helping fix the nation’s supply chain issues, Raimondo made the CHIPS and Science Act, as it was finally called, a top priority. The bill will invest $52 billion in American semiconductor manufacturing, which supporters say is essential for both American technology and national security. Advanced chips are overwhelmingly produced overseas, many in Taiwan, giving the Chinese overwhelming control over a sector that is critical to everything from modern cars to American military weaponry. The bill also makes sweeping investments in scientific research, including starting a new technology directorate at the National Science Foundation with $20 billion, pouring $17 billion into the Department of Energy for related research and development, and creating a network of regional technology hubs across the country with $10 billion.
The bill was boiled down to just those priorities after McConnell seemingly pulled the plug on it in June, prompting Raimondo and Democrats to retool their strategy.
“That turning point said, ‘OK, we’re gonna have to skinny down the bill,’”…
Read More: How working on the ‘CHIPS’ bill made Gina Raimondo Congress’ favorite Cabinet secretary