The US government is in discussions to potentially take a partial ownership stake in Intel, according to an Aug. 18 report by Bloomberg. The deal could help accelerate the construction of Intel’s long-delayed semiconductor manufacturing plant in Ohio.

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), a libertarian-minded Republican, criticized the Trump administration’s push to acquire a stake in U.S. chipmaker Intel, suggesting the move would be a “step toward socialism.” “If socialism is government owning the means of production,