Washington, Dec 10 (NationPress) The decision by the Trump administration to permit NVIDIA to send its advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips to China has elicited intense and unified backlash on Capitol Hill. Senior lawmakers from both the House and Senate expressed concerns that this action compromises US national security, violates export-control policies, and bolsters Beijing’s technological edge at the expense of America.

Congressman Gregory Meeks, the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the choice as indicative of an administration willing to sell out national security. He labeled it a “unilateral concession to China” and cautioned that it would “accelerate China’s AI industry,” effectively handing over America’s technological advantage to companies seeking to bypass US export controls.

Meeks stated, “This decision reeks of corruption. NVIDIA’s CEO has lobbied the administration intensely and is being rewarded despite objections from Trump’s national security team. Export control decisions should prioritize national security rather than be influenced by the highest bidder.”

A coalition of senior Senate Democrats, including Brian Schatz, Chris Coons, Jeanne Shaheen, Jack Reed, Elizabeth Warren, Andy Kim, Michael Bennet, and Elissa Slotkin, issued a joint statement condemning the decision as “a colossal economic and national security failure.”

“The H200S possess capabilities far superior to those produced in China, and providing them to Beijing would squander America’s lead in the AI arena,” the senators remarked. They highlighted that access to these chips could equip China’s military with advanced technology to enhance weapon lethality, conduct more effective cyberattacks against US businesses and critical infrastructure, and elevate their economic and manufacturing sectors.

The lawmakers referenced the Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, which indicated as recently as last week that its inability to access advanced American-designed chips was its “greatest obstacle” to competing with US companies. “With this decision, President Trump is set to eliminate that barrier,” they warned.

Slotkin, who joined the Senate this year after serving in the House, reiterated that the administration’s action would squander America’s primary advantage in the AI race and urged the president to “reverse course and recommit to maintaining American dominance in AI.”

Senator Mark Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a principal architect of the bipartisan CHIPS Act, criticized the administration’s decision for revealing a significant strategic void. He contended that the United States must “remain the undisputed leader in AI hardware,” yet the White House has adopted a “haphazard and transactional approach to export policy” that lacks a coherent strategy for competing with China.

Warner warned that without a long-term strategy across multiple dimensions of AI innovation, the administration “risks squandering US AI leadership and yielding to the People’s Republic of China at every level of the AI hierarchy.”

Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ranking Member of the House committee focused on US–China strategic competition, asserted that permitting exports of H200 chips would be a serious national security misstep and a concession to America’s primary strategic rival. He stressed that advanced GPUs are among the most critical advantages in the race for AI, military modernization, and future job creation.

“Rather than facilitating sales of H200 to China, we should be reinforcing safeguards, developing cutting-edge capabilities domestically, and ensuring that American workers and our national security—not the CCP—benefit from the future of AI,” he concluded.