Congress pushes chip export bills amid Nvidia investigation

Nvidia spy scandal renews push for chip export bills

Congress returned Monday to a jam-packed lame-duck session. But new revelations about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s relationship with an alleged Chinese spy are putting a trio of chip export bills front and center on the agenda.

© Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Associated Press

Huang disclosed over the weekend that he had an affair with a woman who U.S. officials concluded was a Chinese intelligence asset , prompting Nvidia’s board to launch an investigation.

The explosive revelations are throwing momentum behind a months-long effort to include chips legislation in an annual defense bill.

The timing of Huang’s disclosure is ideal for chip export control advocates, who agreed there is new life in the bills at a critical juncture in the legislative calendar.

Lawmakers from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) voiced support for passing the bills on Monday.

The bills would crack down on the sales of advanced chips and key chipmaking equipment abroad.

One lobbyist at an AI policy group told us the “percentage of these bills passing now are astronomically high.”

“The biggest threat to these bills was always that Jensen Huang used his political capital with the White House and even Congress to block them,” they said. “And that obstacle just got blown up.”

Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter , we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:

Schumer says Trump support of Nvidia CEO a ‘dereliction of duty’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed President Trump over his association with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang following reports about the tech leader having an intimate relationship with alleged Chinese spy Alice Huang. “The press reports that Trump was briefed more than a year ago that Nvidia’s CEO was having an affair with a suspected Chinese spy, and Trump didn’t do anything — anything — about it. Can you believe …

Appeals court limits Trump DOJ’s access to journalists’ private chat logs

A federal appeals court’s three-judge panel unanimously limited Tuesday the Trump administration’s broad access to journalists’ LinkedIn records as part of a national security leak investigation, suggesting it could impart a “damaging blow” to First Amendment rights. The ruling, written by Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee, stated the Justice Department’s (DOJ) attempt to access …

Anthropic seeks valuation of up to $1.4 trillion for IPO

Anthropic is seeking a valuation of up to $1.4 trillion for its blockbuster initial public offering (IPO) expected later this month. In a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Anthropic said it is planning to sell 825 million shares between $70 and $78 a share. If the company lists shares at the top of the range, on a fully diluted basis, it would put the company’s total valuation at around $1.4 …

Jeffries pushes tighter China chip restrictions amid Nvidia CEO scandal

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) backed an effort Monday to pass new restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI chips through an annual defense bill amid a scandal over Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s relationship with an alleged Chinese spy. Jeffries, who could become Speaker in the next Congress, said he “strongly supports” chip restrictions in the Senate’s version of the National …

News we’ve flagged from t he intersection of tech and other topics:

New York’s Hochul launches nation’s first state AI testing program ( Politico )

Microsoft presses Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data center technology ( Reuters )

Branch out with other reads on The Hill:

5 takeaways from Trump’s surprise White House briefing

President Trump carried out a surprise press briefing at the White House on Monday, teasing reporters with an appearance by UFC head Dana White — to whom he offered the job as press secretary — and providing a combative response to the GOP’s stunning defeat in the midterm elections. The president took a wide range of questions on foreign policy, including Iran, Russia and Cuba. He addressed allegations of Chinese spying on …

Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: