In brief

• The article covers mounting pressure on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the slowed crackdown on Nvidia chip exports.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has blamed Lutnick's department for not restricting Singapore-based Megaspeed.
• Senate Banking Committee has requested testimony from Lutnick on December 10 and from Jensen Huang on December 3, with subpoenas possible.

Pressure on Commerce

Pressure on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has grown sharply after reports that he is holding back a crackdown on advanced chip exports. According to Axios, President Donald Trump has approved tougher controls, but Lutnick is slowing the effort (Howard Lutnick Doesn’t Want to Stop the Flow of Nvidia Chips Overseas: Report – Gizmodo).

Dispute inside the administration

The clash centers on Megaspeed, a Singapore-based Nvidia customer that was suspected of routing advanced chips to China for years. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has publicly placed the blame on Lutnick's department for failing to put the company on a restricted list. When asked about interagency cooperation on the export list, Bessent said the Commerce Department "has the pen" (Bessent blames Lutnick’s commerce department for failure to blacklist Megaspeed – Financial Times).

Congress moves to question Lutnick

Senator Tim Scott, the Republican who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, has asked Lutnick and former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang to testify. The request set December 3 for Huang and December 10 for Lutnick, and the committee warned it could use subpoenas if either declined to appear voluntarily (Senate Banking Committee asks Jensen Huang and Howard Lutnick to testify over ‘significant national security concerns’ next month, or face subpoenas – Fortune). Lutnick's spokesperson said he had agreed to appear before the committee (Howard Lutnick agrees to testify as bipartisan pressure grows over Nvidia scandal – NBCNews.com). Republican Senator Jim Banks has also said Lutnick should testify as soon as possible about why Nvidia was allowed to sell chips to China (Lutnick Should Testify ‘ASAP’ About Nvidia And Huang, GOP Sen. Jim Banks Says – Forbes).

Why the Megaspeed question matters

Critics argue the government took little action against Megaspeed even as concerns about chip diversion mounted. Commentators have asked who in the government knew about the risks, and when (After Jensen Huang is Howard Lutnick the prime target of national security inquiry? – Fortune). Lutnick's department handles export control rules, which is why his testimony is seen as central to the inquiry.

What happens next

Lutnick is scheduled to appear before the Senate Banking Committee on December 10, while Huang is due on December 3. Whether either will face subpoenas depends on their cooperation with the committee.