Senate Package Puts China Chip Controls in NDAA Debate

The Senate’s fiscal 2027 defense bill management package includes three proposed measures to tighten oversight of advanced chip sales and technology transfers to China, while another report says some provisions were excluded from final negotiations. The differing accounts leave the measures’ status in the bill unsettled as lawmakers press for action amid scrutiny of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

The proposals are the AI Overwatch Act, which would give Congress a role in reviewing advanced chip export licenses; the Chip Security Act, which would require companies to track chips abroad; and the MATCH Act, which would encourage U.S. allies to restrict sales of chipmaking equipment to China. All three advanced through the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year, according to lawmakers and reports.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and Jim Banks, a Republican, urged Congress to advance the AI Overwatch Act, saying reported information about Huang’s relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence agent increased the urgency of chip-security concerns. The allegation has not been independently established in the reports. Huang acknowledged an extramarital affair but did not...