House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday he will work to include provisions in the annual defense policy bill that would tighten restrictions on advanced chip exports to China. Jeffries told reporters he strongly supports measures currently in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act that would restrict chip access to China and will push to ensure those provisions make it into the final legislation.
Jeffries spoke a day after Nvidia's board announced an independent investigation into CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy. His support gives bipartisan momentum to Senate efforts as Democrats prepare to take control of both chambers following their strong midterm performance.
The Senate legislation, called the AI Overwatch Act, would allow Congress to review licenses for selling advanced artificial intelligence chips to China and other countries of concern. It would also help track where exported chips end up and tighten restrictions on sales of equipment used to manufacture them.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jim Banks also called Monday for including the AI Overwatch Act in the defense bill. The senators cited reports that Nvidia had secured approval to export hundreds of thousands of advanced AI chips to China, including to companies with ties to the Chinese military. They said Huang's confirmed relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative makes national security concerns more urgent and raises questions about whether those activities were connected.