Congress wants answers on Nvidia—but the scrutiny reaches the Trump administration, too

Congress wants answers on Nvidia—but the scrutiny reaches the Trump administration, too
Congressional Republicans are moving to compel testimony from Nvidia’s former chief executive and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over alleged chip diversions to China. The inquiry is framed as a national-security reckoning, but it also puts the Trump administration’s own export-control decisions under scrutiny.

Sen. Tim Scott, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, asked Huang and Lutnick to appear in December, warning that lawmakers could use subpoenas. Scott said “recent public reports” raised “significant national security concerns,” and argued that Lutnick’s role in setting and enforcing export controls made his testimony essential. House Republicans have separately sought a closed-door interview with Huang, also threatening a subpoena. Their stated focus is Nvidia’s security measures and Huang’s reported interactions with a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.

The allegations reach beyond Huang’s conduct. Reports cited by the Washington Examiner said Lutnick knew of Huang’s relationship with the suspected spy yet approved chip sales to Chinese buyers, and that he resisted efforts to curb transshipment of more advanced chips. Those claims have not been established in the articles, but they sharpen the question of whether oversight will examine the administration’s choices as well as Nvidia’s.

Democrats have made that broader inquiry explicit. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Congress must ask what the administration did after learning of Huang’s relationship with the suspected intelligence asset. The House article also notes questions over whether Commerce acted quickly enough against Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company accused of smuggling restricted chips to China—an allegation the company denies. A reported federal probe into Megaspeed was halted last year, adding to scrutiny of the export-control system.

The parties overlap in demanding answers from Huang, but differ in emphasis: Republicans have put testimony and national-security risks at the center, while Democrats are pressing to account for the administration’s response, too. With control of Congress set to change in January, the hearings could test whether that scrutiny reaches beyond the private actors at the center of the scandal.