Texas will be 'the home for semiconductor manufacturing': Gov. Abbott

Interview

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): So, for one, because -- you talked about how we have a low rate of infections compared to so many other states. And one reason that we have been able to achieve that is because we have been open 100 percent. There are no vaccine mandates or mask mandates.

And so it shows that we can remain open and help livelihoods, while also making sure that we do a good job of protecting lives.

Now, as it concerns the new variant, we're being very aggressive in trying to address it. The Department of State Health Services is working with local health care providers across the entire state to be able to test samples of COVID-positive cases to determine whether or not they do contain the new variant. We're working to make sure that vaccines are available to anybody who wants a vaccine, and also working to make sure that we make it easier for people to get a test, so they can determine whether or not they may have the new variant or just have the Delta variant, whatever the case may be.

But, also, we -- in anticipation of a potential increase in hospitalizations, we're working to surge more nursing and medical personnel to make sure that our hospitals will be able to deal with it.

BARTIROMO: Well, it's pretty extraordinary, when you look at what's going on in Europe right now, Governor.

You have got lockdowns in Austria, Germany, locking down unvaccinated people. What are your thoughts? Because the White House has not ruled out a vaccine mandate for domestic travelers. We're waiting to see where this Omicron story goes next.

ABBOTT: Well, I can tell you, in Texas, we are ruling out vaccine mandates. We're ruling out lockdowns. There's no need for things like that.

Texans know exactly what they need to do in order to protect themselves. And they don't need government telling them what to do. And I think the same thing should apply from the White House.

BARTIROMO: So, Texas is open and thriving. And you have had a multiple number of victories, this week alone, a federal judge blocking Joe Biden from enforcing the two mandates requiring millions of workers to get vaccinated.

Your executive order banning mask mandates by government entities becomes law. Tell me about the economic story in Texas. I know that Tesla announced it's officially moving its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin. What does that mean for Texas? And then there's Samsung committing to a $17 billion semiconductor factory in Taylor, Texas.

This is going to be real impactful, not just for Texas, but for the country, as we battle this shortage of semiconductor chips.

ABBOTT: Well, it's huge.

I will address both issues that you raise. And that is, first, Texas has been very aggressive about legally challenging all of these mandates that the Biden administration has put in place concerning COVID, whether it be vaccine mandates or mask mandates, whatever the case may be. And we have been winning them all in the courts.

And right now in Texas, there are no federal mandates that apply. The only mandate that applies is my executive order saying that nobody in the state of Texas can be mandated to take a vaccine shot. Obviously, they're available for anybody who wants it, but there can be no mandates infringing upon individual liberty.

That is in part why I think there are so many businesses that are moving to the state of Texas. Maria, over just the first 11 months of this year, there have been 70 businesses and corporations that have relocated their headquarters to the state of Texas.

If you look, on average, that means there's a new headquarters in Texas every five days. One of those, as you mentioned, is Tesla that first announced their Gigafactory here in the state, and then they announced their headquarter move.

You mentioned Samsung, semiconductors, a $17 billion investment in Taylor, Texas, which is just outside of Austin, where they will be building additional semiconductors. That is in addition to an announcement the week before where Texas Instruments announced a $30 billion investment for semiconductors.

Those semiconductors will help in the supply chain process. But the state of Texas economy is growing and thriving. And there are businesses that are moving here, that are growing here, because Texas is the land of economic opportunity and innovation.

BARTIROMO: Well, this is a huge story. And this is going to have impact throughout the country.

We know right now the dominance of Taiwan on semiconductors, one other reason that China wants to go in acquire Taiwan, so that they could be in charge of all semiconductors. This is going to alleviate the semiconductor problem and shortage that America is facing. So that's just great news for Texas.

Do you expect more? What's -- what are you expecting in terms of more investment coming down the road? Any vision or runway for us?

ABBOTT: Sure. Well, we have got actually a lot of positive projects that are coming our way.

But, listen, you touched upon something that's very important. And that is a lesson that Americans have learned -- and, by God, the Biden administration should learn this also -- and that is, the country made a mistake over the past one or two decades to a far amount manufacturing of all these essential supplies, whether it be now semiconductors or could be health care supplies that we needed during the time of COVID, whatever the case may be.

We need to not depend upon China or other countries for our essential needs for things like semiconductors. And that is exactly why Texas actually is leading the way of becoming the home for semiconductors that go into everything that people use. It's not just your iPhone or your laptop or whatever the case may be.

It's also in all of these vehicles where you have manufacturing going on. In fact, just this last week, we announced the rollout of the new Toyota Tundra. And they use these semiconductor chips in their trucks.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

ABBOTT: And so Texas will be the home of semiconductor manufacturing going forward.

BARTIROMO: All the more impressive, given what you are facing in terms of the challenge at the border.

So, because of the Omicron variant, Joe Biden came out this week and put new mask restrictions -- mask mandates, rather, in place until March of 2022. And he was asked about COVID testing, given the fact that now travelers coming into the United States are required to test for COVID within 24 hours.

Here's Dr. Fauci answering the question from FOX News star Peter Doocy about testing COVID at the border. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Anybody and everybody who's coming into the country needs to get a test within 24 hours of getting on the plane to come here.

DOOCY: But what about people who don't take a plane and just these border crossers coming in, in huge numbers?

(CROSSTALK)

FAUCI: That's a different issue.

For example, when you talk -- we still have Title 42 with regard to protection at the border. So there are protections at the border, that you don't have the capability, you know, of somebody on a plane, getting checked, looking at a passport. We don't have that there.

BARTIROMO: Governor, set the record straight for us. Who is not getting tested at the border?

And, also, we do have breaking news this morning. We have the latest unofficial border numbers from our border sources for the month of November. And it is getting worse. We had 168,000 apprehensions for the month and 52, 429 got-aways. In other words, those people came into the country, they were seen on surveillance cameras, they got away.

We are looking at 600,000 got-aways this fiscal year, up 40 percent. Your thoughts on testing for COVID and all of this impact of the wide open border in Texas?

ABBOTT: Maria, I'm unaware of whether or not Dr. Fauci has ever actually been to the border, certainly during the time of COVID.

I don't think he has any personal firsthand knowledge whether or not people are being tested coming across the border. I, however, am on the border either every week or every other week. And I have been dealing with and talking to Border Patrol, as well as the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety, who are apprehending these people coming across the border.

And what I can tell you for a fact is, most of the people coming across the border, if not all of them, are not being tested. The point is this. The president and the Biden administration, they have two standards. If you're going to pay money to come into the United States of America lawfully, you have to be tested.

However, if you come into the country illegally, you don't have to be tested. And, as you know the numbers, there have been more than a million people who've come across the border illegally that we know of this year, most of whom have not been tested.

And so the Biden demonstration actually has no adequate information to determine the extent to which people are coming across the border by the millions to know whether or not they are bringing COVID or the Omicron variant, whatever the case may be, into the United States of America.

That is completely irresponsible and extremely dangerous.

BARTIROMO: Absolutely.

ABBOTT: You talked about the got-aways.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

ABBOTT: And the reason why we have got-aways is because the Biden administration has tied the hands of both the Border Patrol, as well as ICE. They have insufficient number of personnel on the border to secure the border.

That's exactly why Texas has 10,000 National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety officers on the border. It's why we are erecting these barriers on the border, and it's exactly why Texas is building its own border wall.

BARTIROMO: Which -- exactly.

And one of my sources told me about the lawlessness happening in Houston. He told me there were 400,000 new people in Houston right now because there are getaway cars picking them up from the border, driving them to Houston. In fact, I was told one of the biggest businesses in Houston right now is producing fake documents, that these companies that produce fake documents for these illegals are just soaring.

What's going on in Houston? And, by the way, a federal judge is insisting that the Biden administration reimplement remain-in-Mexico. But my sources on the ground said: I will believe it when I see it.

They still think they're going to blow off the law.

Your thoughts on what's going on in Houston, as well as this remain-in- Mexico policy, real quick, sir?

ABBOTT: So, the remain-in-Mexico, that was a result of a lawsuit brought by Texas against the Biden administration, where a federal judge ruled in our favor, compelling the Biden administration to reinstate the remain-in- Mexico policy.

Of course, we are apprehensive about the extent to which the Biden administration will reimpose it. However, the news reports are that they are going to begin doing it. I think they have gotten agreement by the Mexican government to begin that process beginning this weekend and early next week. But, of course, as usual, we will believe it when we see it.

With regard to these crimes that you're talking about taking place, listen, this is part of cartel activity. The cartels are advertising on TikTok to get drivers to assist, and then moving illegal immigrants around the state of Texas. It is an issue that the Texas Department of Public Safety is working to crack down upon.

But it shows the extent to which Texas law enforcement officers have to step up and deal with the challenges that are created by the Biden administration importing illegal activity into our country and into our state.

BARTIROMO: Yes. All right, we will leave it there.

Governor, thanks very much for your leadership. Good to talk with you this morning.

ABBOTT: Thank you.

BARTIROMO: We have reported on the TikTok angle as well.

Thank you, sir. We will talk soon.

Quick break, and then Dr. Ben Carson on the Omicron variant threat.

Stay with us.

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