Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks throughout a Senate Banking, Housing and City Affairs Committee affirmation listening to on President Donald Trump’s nominees to steer the Nationwide Financial Council, Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau and Federal Housing Finance Company, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 27, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters
President Donald Trump’s determination to let Nvidia promote its superior H200 synthetic intelligence chips to China “sells out American nationwide safety,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., mentioned Thursday.
Warren additionally reiterated her name for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to testify earlier than Congress in regards to the settlement, together with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The senator’s fiery remarks on the Senate ground got here three days after Trump introduced on social media that the U.S. semiconductor large Nvidia might promote the chips to “accepted prospects” in China, as long as the U.S. will get a 25% reduce of the revenues.
The announcement drew issues each from Democrats and a few of Trump’s Republican allies, who’ve been vocal about defending America’s {hardware} benefit over China within the race to AI superiority.
Warren, in Thursday’s remarks, urged Congress to move bipartisan laws that “reins on this administration” by imposing new chip export restrictions. Critics of the invoice say it might undermine U.S. chipmakers’ competitiveness.
The Trump administration is aware of that China having access to the chips, which have beforehand been topic to export restrictions, “poses a critical menace to our technological management and nationwide safety,” Warren mentioned on the Senate ground.
She famous that shortly earlier than Trump introduced his determination on the H200 chips on Monday, the Division of Justice touted a crackdown touted a crackdown on a “main China-linked AI tech smuggling community.”
“So why did the President make this unhealthy deal that sells out the American financial system and sells out American nationwide safety?” she requested. “It is easy: Within the Trump administration, cash talks.”
“Mr. Huang understands that on this administration, having the ability to cozy as much as Donald Trump may be an important company CEO talent of all,” Warren mentioned.
She pointed to Huang attending a $1 million-per-plate dinner at Trump’s Florida house Mar-a-Lago, and Nvidia’s later donations to the president’s under-construction White Home ballroom.
“These are simply the obvious attainable causes to chop this deal,” Warren mentioned, “and who is aware of what else Mr. Huang may need achieved behind closed doorways to steer President Trump and Secretary Lutnick into making this harmful concession.”
CNBC has reached out to Nvidia for touch upon the senator’s remarks.
