A Massachusetts senator pushed for a vote on Thursday to cease the sale of a whole lot of hundreds of superior pc chips to the United Arab Emirates, saying the deal poses dangers to American safety pursuits.
Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator, will introduce a measure asking her colleagues to oppose the transaction and demand it’s reversed. Her transfer follows latest reporting {that a} outstanding UAE determine purchased a big share in a Trump household enterprise enterprise shortly earlier than the president took workplace.
Funding in Trump enterprise got here earlier than chip approval
The Wall Avenue Journal reported final week that Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, typically referred to as the “Spy Sheikh,” acquired a 49% possession place in World Liberty Monetary, a cryptocurrency firm tied to the Trump household. The acquisition occurred simply 4 days earlier than Donald Trump’s inauguration as president. About $187 million went to Trump household companies by this association.
The chip transaction was authorized a number of months after that funding passed off. Warren and different critics say the timing raises questions on whether or not the 2 offers are linked. Previous administrations warned towards sending these chips to the UAE as a result of officers fearful they may find yourself in China’s possession.
“Why on the planet was Donald Trump making an attempt to ship off our state-of-the-art chips to the UAE, and China, when American startups, universities, and small companies want them right here at house?” Warren mentioned. “Properly, now we all know that the UAE greased the skids months earlier when it secretly agreed to pour a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} right into a Trump household crypto enterprise simply 4 days earlier than President Trump’s inauguration.”
The settlement would ship 500,000 chips made by Nvidia to the UAE every year. These embody the corporate’s most refined merchandise. The USA and China are competing for management in synthetic intelligence expertise, and American officers intently guard entry to superior gear.
G42, a man-made intelligence firm owned by Tahnoon, will obtain the chips underneath the deal. Intelligence officers have beforehand expressed concern about G42’s previous connections to Chinese language expertise corporations, together with Huawei.
Warren’s decision, labeled S. Res. 598, has backing from three different Democratic senators: Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Andy Kim of New Jersey, and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. If authorized, it could formally state that the Senate opposes Trump’s alternative to allow the chip sale and desires the choice undone.
Paperwork show the funding settlement was signed on January 16, 2025. The primary cost of $250 million included $187 million that went to 2 restricted legal responsibility corporations owned by the Trump household.
The UAE funding got here by Aryam Funding 1, which is run by executives from G42. The UAE authorities has promised $1.4 trillion in investments in American infrastructure initiatives. Nonetheless, critics argue that promoting Blackwell-architecture chips represents a serious shift that weakens America’s expertise benefit.
Warren, who leads Democrats on the Senate banking committee, mentioned that “Trump is taking advantage of choices that make it simpler for nations like China to get their arms on a few of our most delicate and superior expertise.”
She additionally mentioned that “Congress must develop a backbone. We can not permit American nationwide safety to be offered to the very best bidder.”
Decision faces unsure prospects in Senate
The decision faces lengthy odds within the Senate, the place any single member can block such measures from getting a vote. Nonetheless, it may create uncomfortable conditions for Republican senators who’ve additionally warned about defending American chip expertise from China.
Trump administration officers have mentioned nothing improper occurred. When requested concerning the chip deal this week, Trump responded, “Properly, I don’t learn about it.”
White Home officers have acknowledged that the president handed enterprise operations to his youngsters to forestall conflicts of curiosity. The decision asks for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify about what safety measures are hooked up to the Nvidia export permits.
