Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi Condemns Reported Nvidia, AMD Revenue-Sharing Deal With Trump Administration As “Dangerous Misuse of Export Controls”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party issued the following statement in response to reports that the Trump Administration has agreed to grant export licenses to Nvidia and AMD in exchange for 15% of their China chip sales revenue:

“The reported agreement to have Nvidia and AMD pay 15% of their China chip sales revenues in exchange for export licenses from the U.S. government represents a dangerous misuse of export controls that undermines our national security. Export controls exist to protect America, not to generate revenue. If advanced semiconductor sales to China pose the national security risks we've repeatedly cited, they should be prohibited, not monetized through an unaccountable profit-sharing scheme with the federal government.

“This arrangement raises critical questions the administration must answer immediately, including what legal authority it has for extracting revenue-sharing as a condition for export licenses, how such funds will be used, whether the interagency referral process established by Congress was followed, and whether Congress was consulted at any point in the development of this scheme.

“Most troubling is the contradiction at the heart of this potential policy. The administration cannot simultaneously treat semiconductor exports as both a national security threat and a revenue opportunity. By putting a price on our security concerns, we signal to China and our allies that American national security principles are negotiable for the right fee.

“As Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, I will be seeking answers about the legal basis for this unprecedented arrangement and demanding full transparency from the administration. Our export control regime must be based on genuine security considerations, not creative taxation schemes disguised as national security policy. Chip export controls aren’t bargaining chips, and they’re not casino chips either. We shouldn’t be gambling with our national security to raise revenue.”

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