## Congressional Panel Backs Bill to Scrutinize Advanced AI Chip Exports, Overruling Administration Concerns
**NEW YORK, January 21 (Reuters)** – Despite intense resistance emanating from within the White House and a coordinated social media push, the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee decisively moved forward legislation aimed at tightening Congressional control over the shipment of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to foreign adversaries.
The bill, known as the "AI Overwatch Act," was advanced by an overwhelming margin on Wednesday. The measure seeks to give the legislative branch power to review and potentially block exports of high-end AI processors, a move that critics argue encroaches on executive authority and harms U.S. technology dominance abroad.
Introduced in December by Representative Brian Mast (R-Florida), the committee chair, the legislation was prompted by President Donald Trump’s authorization of shipments of Nvidia’s powerful H200 AI processors to China.
If enacted, the bill would empower the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Banking Committees with a 30-day window to scrutinize and potentially veto licenses issued by the executive branch for the export of cutting-edge AI silicon destined for China or other hostile nations.
The most recent draft of the legislation secured critical endorsement from Democratic Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (New York), signaling strong bipartisan backing. Furthermore, the updated version now explicitly prohibits the export of Nvidia’s flagship Blackwell chips, according to a staff member. The committee’s endorsement was robust, with 42 members voting for the bill’s advancement, two against, and one abstaining. One source suggested that the chances of the act's ultimate passage were ironically boosted following a concentrated media effort launched against the bill last week.
### National Security Versus Political Interference
Proponents framed the bill as an essential mechanism for safeguarding national security. Before the committee vote, Representative Mast stressed that advanced microchips require the same stringent oversight applied to military systems.
"These advanced chips need to fall under the same oversight as any other military-related system," Mast asserted. "This is about the future of military warfare."
The debate has been fueled by intense public maneuvering against the legislation. White House AI Czar David Sacks publicly amplified a social media narrative suggesting the bill was a politically motivated plot orchestrated by "Never Trumpers" and former aides to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, designed to undermine the President’s "America First" strategy. Sacks specifically endorsed an X post that claimed the CEO of AI firm Anthropic, Dario Amodei, had hired former Biden staff to advocate for the policy.
Amodei, however, has been publicly vocal about restricting exports. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he strongly criticized the practice, stating, "It would be a big mistake to ship these chips... I think this is crazy. It’s a bit like selling nuclear weapons to North Korea."
Republican Representative Michael McCaul (Texas) condemned the high-budget external opposition campaigns, accusing "special interest groups" funded by those who profit from chip sales of "waging a social media campaign war" against the bill. "Shame on them," McCaul added, asserting the legislation’s primary purpose was to protect U.S. national security.
Neither Anthropic nor Nvidia, the primary chip manufacturer affected, offered comment on the claims or the bill. Similarly, requests for statements from the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, and representatives for David Sacks and the White House were not immediately returned.
The "AI Overwatch Act" must now secure approval from the full House and the Senate before heading to the President’s desk.
