The lawmakers highlight concerns from Department of Justice law enforcement officials about letting advanced AI chips fall into China’s hands; Question if Justice Department officials were involved in the decision
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to raise concerns over the Trump Administration’s decision to disregard warnings from its own Department of Justice and allow NVIDIA to export its advanced H200 AI chips to China.
“The President’s dangerous decision to give away critical national security controls represents a significant departure from longstanding bipartisan efforts to ensure that U.S. technology does not turbocharge China’s military and technological capabilities,” the lawmakers wrote to Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik. “The PRC seeks NVIDIA’s H200s chips to develop and deploy AI systems, including for military and cyber operations.”
“The Department confirmed that these advanced chips are the ‘building blocks of AI superiority’ that ‘are integral to modern military applications.’ The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas underscored that ‘(t)he country that controls these chips will control AI technology; the country that controls AI technology will control the future,’” the lawmakers continued.
“During your confirmation hearing, you advocated for stronger export controls, saying ‘if they are going to compete with us, let them compete, but stop using our tools to compete with us.’ Unfortunately, under your tenure, the Department of Commerce appears to be handing out key favors that undermine our national security based on which corporate CEOs can do the best job of wooing President Trump,” the lawmakers continued.
The senators concluded by requesting answers no later than December 19, 2025 to their questions on the decision to allow H200 AI chips to be sold to China.
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. In addition to Wyden, the letter was also signed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and U.S. Senators Andy Kim, D-N.J., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.
The full letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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