In swing state Arizona, an $8.5 billion CHIPS grant spells 'jobs' more than geopolitics

CHANDLER, Ariz. — In the booming Phoenix metro area, Washington policymakers’ rare bipartisan push to bolster national security in their high-tech arms race with China brings major enthusiasm for something more basic: jobs.

A fresh influx of $8.5 billion in CHIPS and Science Act funding to help Intel build two semiconductor plants and upgrade an existing one in Chandler, 30 minutes southeast of downtown Phoenix, is expected to bring thousands of high-paying roles to the area.

“That’s what the city needs — jobs,” said Alfred Garza, a lifelong Chandler resident, who said he has watched it balloon over the years “to the point where, my God, they took all the natural beauty.”

“I hope it helps the community, because, look, this side of the city is still run-down,” he said. “Intel, I think, would be a good beginning.”

Made in America is good — to me and a bunch of others sitting up in our community.

Alfred Garza of Chandler, AriZ.

The tech giant already employs 13,000 people in the Phoenix area, and the White House forecasts the Arizona projects will create 3,000 more manufacturing roles and at least twice that many construction jobs — on par with the gains expected in Ohio, the second of four states, along with New Mexico and Oregon, where the federal grants are helping Intel expand its chip operations.

“Made in America is good — to me and a bunch of others sitting up in our community,” Garza said.

It’s a sentiment that many officials on the ground in Chandler were happy to talk up Wednesday.

“The CHIPS and Science Act is a huge jobs creator,” National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard told NBC News, adding that the impact would go beyond Intel’s own workforce. “That also leads to all kinds of nearby restaurants’ having