Nvidia export scrutiny prompts Trump team to mull Lutnick’s future as commerce secretary, report says

Lutnick faces growing scrutiny

Officials in the White House are discussing Lutnick’s future after questions arose about the administration’s handling of technology exports and Chinese companies. The concerns were already present before Huang’s resignation, according to the report.

Blacklist decisions under question

Reuters reported in June that the administration had not placed Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, memory maker CXMT and more than 100 other firms flagged as security risks on a US trade blacklist. No companies have been added since October 2025, the longest such pause in more than a decade.

Earlier reporting said officials held back from adding Chinese firms amid concerns that doing so could worsen tensions between the United States and China. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called on Lutnick and Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to explain why export-control gaps remained open.

Senators seek export records

The senators referred to allegations about Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed. The company has bought more than $4.8 billion in advanced Nvidia AI chips since June 2024. Nvidia’s announcement of Huang’s resignation did not discuss his conduct.

Congress questions chip approvals

Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Richard Neal sent Lutnick a letter Thursday describing an inquiry into approvals for Nvidia chip sales to Chinese firms. They raised concerns about alleged links between some firms and China’s government, military and sanctioned entities.

The lawmakers also challenged Trump’s December 2025 authorization for Nvidia to ship advanced H200 processors to China in return for a share of export revenue collected through Commerce Department actions. They called the arrangement “an unconstitutional export tax.” Republican Rep. Brian Mast said Congress should examine the department’s approval process, while saying he still had confidence in Lutnick. Sen. John Kennedy said Lutnick should answer questions about the exports, and Sen. Tom Cotton urged him to bar CXMT from operating in the United States and accessing American technology.