Congress Escalates China Chip Probe, Summoning Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Lutnick

In brief

• Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has asked former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify in December, warning that subpoenas will follow if they decline.
• The Republican chairs of three House committees are separately seeking closed-door interviews with Huang and Nvidia General Counsel Tim Teter on December 1 and 2.
• The inquiries center on export controls and Megaspeed, a Singapore-based Nvidia customer whose former executive U.S. officials suspect of spying for China.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has requested that former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify, broadening a congressional inquiry that has shifted from Huang’s personal conduct to U.S. restrictions on chip exports to China. “The American people deserve answers,” Scott wrote in a tweet announcing the requests on Thursday evening.

In a letter dated November 12, Scott asked Huang to appear voluntarily at a public hearing on December 3, citing public reports that “raise significant national security concerns.” The committee has jurisdiction over export controls, “including their application to NVIDIA’s exports of advanced semiconductors,” he wrote. Should Huang decline, the committee “is prepared to use all tools at our disposal, including subpoenas.”

Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology.

I am requesting that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify before the Senate Banking Committee.

The American people deserve… pic.twitter.com/Xu1kiNzkhW

— Senator Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) November 13, 2026

Scott asked Lutnick to testify on December 10, pointing to Commerce’s “central role in issuing and enforcing export control regulations.” A spokesperson for Lutnick told NBC News that he had “proactively agreed to appear voluntarily,” while the White House said President Donald Trump “maintains complete confidence” in the secretary.

Separately on Thursday, the Republican leaders of the House Foreign Affairs, China and Intelligence committees—Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Rick Crawford (R-AR)—wrote to Huang, Nvidia General Counsel Tim Teter and Jeffrey Kessler, the Commerce Department’s under secretary for industry and security.

The panel chairs asked Huang to sit for a closed-door, transcribed interview on December 1 and Teter on December 2, giving each until 8 p.m. on Friday to comply or face a subpoena. Kessler, whose bureau administers export controls, was invited to appear at a December 3 hearing.

“As reports continue to come to light regarding Jensen Huang, NVIDIA, and MegaSpeed, there are clear national security concerns that need to be addressed immediately,” the three chairs said in a joint statement. They urged Congress to attach four chip security bills to the annual defense authorization bill.

The request marks a second attempt. An earlier letter dated November 4 had asked Huang to brief the committees on November 18. Mast told reporters on Thursday that Huang had agreed to brief lawmakers, NBC News reported.

Megaspeed and export controls

At the heart of the investigations is Megaspeed, a Singapore-based Nvidia customer. U.S. officials suspected the company of helping Chinese firms sidestep restrictions on advanced AI chips, The New York Times reported in October. Its Malaysian sister company purchased at least $4.8 billion in AI equipment containing Nvidia chips between June 2024 and February 2026, according to trade records cited by the Times.

Megaspeed told the Times it had retained outside counsel to lead an internal review. Nvidia has said it adheres to U.S. export laws, according to NBC News.

The Times reported that U.S. officials had determined that Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive, was a Chinese intelligence asset. China has dismissed that claim as a smear, and Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday that the Justice Department had not reached a conclusion on whether she was a spy, according to BBC News.

Jensen Huang acknowledged on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife and stepped down on Thursday. Nvidia’s board has said it sees no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised.

Moolenaar told reporters that Huang had “been one of the strongest proponents for not having export controls,” Roll Call reported. On Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the Banking Committee’s ranking member, and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) asked Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to preserve records related to Nvidia chip exports to China.

China’s foreign ministry warned on Friday that tighter U.S. semiconductor export controls would jeopardize the stability of global supply chains, Al Jazeera reported.

Nvidia shares closed down 4.3% at $166.19 on Thursday and rose 2.7% to $170.63 in early premarket trading on Friday, according to Yahoo! Finance. The company has shed nearly $500 billion in market value since the close on Friday, November 6. It reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday, the first under interim CEO Colette Kress.

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