Gym Discussion Forges Unusual Senate Alliance to Pass China Bill

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, were working out in the Senate gym, discussing how the U.S. could respond to the rise of China, when they first hit upon the idea that grew into a nearly $250 billion bipartisan competitiveness bill that passed the chamber on Tuesday evening.

Their plan was to strengthen U.S. innovation and their first stab at it was the Endless Frontier Act introduced in May 2020. But it went nowhere until Democrats gained narrow control of the Senate earlier this year and Schumer used his position to begin moving ...