2 GOP Lawmakers Diverge on Revenue-Sharing Deal for Chip Exports
Two Republican lawmakers gave different views Aug. 12 on the Trump administration’s decision to allow Nvidia and AMD to sell certain controlled chips to China in exchange for a portion of their sales revenue (see 2508110044).
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Speaking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said that while he doesn’t know enough about the arrangement to comment on it, he would be wary of any deal with China. “I wouldn’t trust them for anything,” he said. “I think China's a despicable government. They lie, cheat and steal. So I think we've got to be very careful. We've got to understand that they have decided to be our enemy.”
Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., expressed no such reservations. “I trust President [Donald] Trump to do the research and make the right decisions,” he told reporters at the Capitol.
Trump said the previous day that Nvidia’s H20 chip, which is part of the deal, is an “obsolete chip” that the company should be allowed to sell to China. Some lawmakers disagreed, saying the H20 will enhance China’s AI capabilities (see 2507300030). In addition, some lawmakers and former government officials have questioned whether the revenue-sharing deal is legal and whether the U.S. should be relaxing export controls in exchange for money.
"Decisions about whether a company can sell chips to China should be based on national security assessments, not on whether they’re willing to pay a tax," Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., wrote on X Aug. 12.