The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to advance a bill granting Congress authority over AI chip exports.
The legislation, introduced by Representative Brian Mast of Florida, comes despite opposition from White House AI czar David Sacks and a social media campaign targeting the bill.
AI Overwatch Act Details
Known as the “AI Overwatch Act,” the bill was proposed after President Trump approved shipments of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China.
If passed, the law would allow the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Banking Committees 30 days to review or block licenses for advanced AI chip exports to adversaries.
The latest version bans Nvidia’s top-tier Blackwell chips as well, garnering support from Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks of New York.
Wednesday’s committee vote saw 42 members in favor, two against, and one present.
A coordinated media campaign last week reportedly boosted the bill’s chances of passage.
National Security Concerns
Mast defended the legislation, emphasizing the military implications of the chips.
“If we were just talking about war games on Xbox, then Jensen Huang could sell as many chips as he wants, to anybody that he wants,” Mast said.
“But this is not about kids playing Halo on their television. This is about the future of military warfare.”
Nvidia, Sacks, and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Sacks shared posts suggesting the bill was orchestrated by Never Trumpers and former Obama and Biden staffers to undermine Trump’s “America First” strategy.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, mentioned in these claims, has repeatedly warned against shipping advanced AI chips to China.
“It would be a big mistake to ship these chips,” Amodei said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“It’s a bit like selling nuclear weapons to North Korea.”
Pushback From Social Media
Conservative activist Laura Loomer and others criticized the bill online, calling it “pro-China sabotage disguised as oversight.”
Mast and other lawmakers dismissed these attacks, stressing the legislation’s importance for U.S. national security.
“Shame on them,” said Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas.
He noted that special interest groups are funding social media campaigns to oppose the bill for profit motives.