Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Donald Trump’s Reckless Decision To Allow Sales Of Advanced AI Chips To China

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming Donald Trump’s decision to allow the export of advanced Nvidia H200 AI chips to China, warning that the move gives China a leg up in their effort to beat the U.S. in the AI race, endangering U.S. national security and strengthening China’s military and technological capabilities. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Donald Trump is just selling out America for his own ego and his own gain. That's what he's doing on chips. Yesterday, Donald Trump announced he was giving the green light for Nvidia to send even more powerful AI chips to China, the H200, which are used to train AI models.

Let’s be clear—you can’t claim to be “tough on China” if you willingly sell them some of the most advanced chips in the world so they can use it to strengthen their military. People on both sides of the aisle are aghast that Trump would do this. Does he think it through? Does he care about what will happen tomorrow or just his little announcement today?

Donald Trump’s announcement selling these chips to China is dangerous. They’ll use them to strengthen their military and their technological edge, all at the expense of American national security.

Even Donald Trump’s own Department of Justice warned about the dangers of these chips making their way to China. Here is what they said, the Department of Justice, when they acted against a chip smuggling operation yesterday. This is Trump’s Justice Department: “These chips are the building blocks of AI superiority and are integral to modern military applications. The country that controls these chips will control AI technology; the country that controls AI technology will control the future.” Donald Trump, you are letting China control our future. You’re selling us out, all so you can have a little one-day ego gain by making some kind of announcement which no one is going to believe anyway. Donald Trump should listen to his own DOJ about the danger of giving China these chips before cutting stupid deals that cost America dearly in the years to come.

But, unfortunately, this is textbook Donald Trump. He is so desperate to get a deal with President Xi, so he can get that photo-op, that he will sell out America’s long-term security for a short-term political gain. This sellout is not only going to hurt us, it’s going to hurt our children and our grandchildren as China begins to dominate the world with AI. And then he comes up with this tawdry deal, where he says Nvidia makes money and the U.S. makes money. But the short-term gain of dollars from selling these chips is so much outweighed by the danger when China takes the lead on AI using the chips that were made in America and sold to them by Donald Trump.

So, I ask one question: where is the outrage from my Republican colleagues? Are they just going to sit by while Donald Trump sells America out to Xi Jinping? That’s what’s going on here.

This chips deal is terrible. It will cost our national security dearly. And the president must reverse course before it’s too late.

###