Concern Among Congressional Democrats Over Chip Sales to China
Recent expressions of disquiet emerge from within the Democratic caucus regarding the potential approval of state-of-the-art semiconductor sales to one of the United States’ most formidable geopolitical foes—China.
Representative Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), collaborating with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), dispatched a formal correspondence to Under Secretary for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler on Monday, seeking clarity regarding the rationale behind the Trump administration’s endorsement of the H200 Chip sale to China.
“The President directing you to sanction the licenses for the H200 is indicative of a profoundly troubling trend that jeopardizes our national security,” the duo articulated in their message.
Meeks underscored his inquiries based on the provisions of the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) of 2018, which delineates federal oversight pertaining to technology-related exports.
The ECRA mandates that the Department of Commerce must provide Congress with satisfactory answers concerning issues raised by the ranking members of pertinent committees on foreign affairs and armed services.
“Under ECRA, Congress asserted that the United States’ policy is to curtail the export of items that could significantly enhance the military capabilities of any foreign nation,” Meeks emphasized.
“Permitting licenses for products such as NVIDIA’s H200 chips—which the Justice Department has recently characterized as ‘integral to modern military applications’—would starkly contradict the policy articulated in ECRA,” he continued.
NVIDIA’s advanced H200 AI chip was previously banned from sale to China in 2022. Bloomberg via Getty Images Congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm over the Trump administration green-lighting H200 chip sales to China. AP
The H200 chip represents the epitome of computational prowess, crafted by NVIDIA, and is pivotal for the processing demands of increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence applications.
Initially, sales to China were prohibited in 2022 under the Biden administration’s directives.
According to a company filing, “The [government] indicated that the new licensing requirements will mitigate risks that the products covered may be utilized in, or diverted to, a ‘military end use’ or ‘military end user’ in China.” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., demand answers on the chip sales.
Like Meeks, other legislators harbor apprehensions that enabling these sales to China will only further fortify a rival nation that has demonstrated a propensity for weaponizing technology.
In recent legislative actions, Congress prohibited the use of Huawei devices among government personnel and enacted laws mandating the divestiture of TikTok, due to concerns regarding China’s extensive data-gathering capabilities.
To Meeks, the shift in policy permitting H200 chip sales—to China and other potential adversaries—appears fundamentally inconsistent with earlier legislative caution.
“Just last month, you facilitated the export of tens of thousands of advanced AI chips valued at approximately $1 billion to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, despite substantial reservations regarding these nations’ human rights records and their ties with the [People’s Republic of China],” Meeks pointed out.
While a faction of Republicans shares Meeks’ apprehension, others maintain that the Trump administration’s pivot is a strategic maneuver aimed at bolstering American competitiveness in the forthcoming years.
Meeks and Warren have solicited insights from the administration regarding the decision’s underlying factors, hoping to obtain responses by January 12, 2026.
Source link: Nypost.com.
