Senator Dave McCormick Questions Trump’s Decision to Export AI Chips to China

By Jim Mishler | Thursday, December 11, 2025

Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) questioned President Donald Trump’s decision to allow the export of Nvidia’s H200-class artificial intelligence chips to China as part of broader negotiations on agricultural market access.

McCormick stated he was concerned about the administration’s move and expressed uncertainty over why it represents the right path for the United States. “I’m not clear on why that is the right path for us, and I want to be convinced,” he said.

He argued that the administration’s claim—that providing China with controlled, reduced-capability chips would slow Beijing’s efforts to advance its own technology—has not been supported by experience. “I think you can count on China to be doing everything in its power to develop its own independent capacity, and that America’s position should be, in my opinion, doing everything we can to maintain a lead,” McCormick added.

McCormick said he does not see how exporting the chips would slow China’s progress but rather accelerate it. “It appears to me that by exporting those chips, it’s not clear to me how that would in any way slow their advances, and it seems more likely that it would accelerate them,” he stated.

The senator noted his concern led him to co-sponsor two bills aimed at limiting such exports: the GAIN AI Act and the SAFE Chips Act. “Those measures are designed to put brakes on that while Congress evaluates the national security implications,” McCormick explained.

McCormick emphasized maintaining U.S. leadership in advanced computing is central to competition with China. While open to administration briefings, he stressed he does not see a strategic benefit in the current decision. “I certainly see the need to maintain leadership,” he said. “And I want to do everything I can to make sure America remains at the forefront of this important battle.”