Democrats open inquiry into Trump administration's handling of Nvidia China chip sales

Nov 13, 2026
Rep. Neal and Sen. Wyden ask Commerce to preserve records and question the H200 export deal and Megaspeed's chip purchases.

Two senior congressional Democrats have opened an inquiry into how the Trump administration handled Nvidia's chip sales to China, TechCrunch reports. Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick asking the Commerce Department to preserve records. As the minority party, they can ask questions but cannot compel answers.

The letter calls the arrangement under which Nvidia's H200 chips were routed through the US and tariffed before going to China "what appears to be an unconstitutional export tax system." It asks why Commerce kept letting Megaspeed, the Singapore firm led by alleged Chinese spy Alice Huang, buy chips after US intelligence reportedly raised concerns, and how Nvidia's $26 million in donations to Trump's projects factored in.

It is the second congressional inquiry since the scandal broke. Jensen Huang, who resigned as Nvidia CEO on 12 November, has agreed to testify in a closed session before Republican-led House committees.

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