Republican lawmakers are pushing for limits on the ability of U.S. companies to sell advanced semiconductors to China, an effort that has clashed with some key figures in the Trump administration.
The effort pits China’s hardliners against Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. He has repeatedly told lawmakers and government officials that the more American chips are used in China, the more American companies will become leaders in the field.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-Florida) has been at the forefront of ensuring that artificial intelligence and chips are considered national security assets and has not been afraid to directly criticize Mr. Hwang.
“The joke here is that Mr. Jensen wants us to trust the Chinese Communist Party,” Mast said in an interview with CNBC, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. “People watching this should laugh.”
In the latest salvo, the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced a bill that would give Congress 30 days to review and block the sale of advanced chips to hostile countries, similar to the powers Congress has over the sale of arms and weapons. It also said it would revoke all existing export licenses to countries such as China until the government submits a detailed strategy on how the chips will affect the military and intelligence services.
All but two committee members voted to advance the bill. A companion bill has already been introduced in the Senate with bipartisan support from Sens. Jim Banks (R-Indiana) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts).
“We’re in an AI arms race, and it’s important to know where the AI weapons dealers are selling,” Mast said in an interview. He said Congress has no right to interfere with chips sold for video games or other commercial purposes, but “when it integrates into today’s world, it’s real wars, real weapons systems, real casualties at the highest levels of all militaries. So, we’re going to have a say.”
Mr. Mast added that Mr. Huang “might not like it, but that’s what happens.”
In a statement to CNBC, Nvidia said it was unlikely that the Chinese military would use U.S. chips, saying “it makes no sense for the Chinese military to rely on U.S. technology.”
The company added, “Those who criticize the administration are unintentionally promoting the interests of foreign competitors. The United States should always want its industry to compete for vetted and approved commercial ventures, which protects national security, creates American jobs, and maintains American leadership in AI.”
Mast, a Trump ally, said the committee is working with the White House and the bill codifies provisions in a recent Commerce Department regulation that allows the sale of advanced chips to China. Both the bill and regulations prohibit licensing advanced chips in ways that could benefit China’s military, but the Commerce Department does not give lawmakers the power to block sales.
Despite strong support, the bill faces an uphill climb to passage. Ahead of the committee vote, White House AI czar David Sachs retweeted a post from the Wall Street Mav X account condemning the bill, saying it would “impede President Trump’s ability to put the United States in a strategic position vis-à-vis China.”
Sachs quoted the tweet and added, “Correct.”
Mast countered by saying the talking points in the account boosted by Sachs were consistent with the talking points he heard from Nvidia.
“He was promoting influencers who were literally mercenary, telling literal lies,” Mast said.
Mast said he worked with other members of the administration on the bill before it was voted on in committee.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
The commission’s oversight of the chips is far from over. Mast also plans to vote on a bill that would require exported advanced chips to include a mechanism to verify their location, and would require exporters to report to the government if a chip falls in an unauthorized location. The bill, known as the Chip Security Act, has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
