Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official Website
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the Artificial Intelligence Oversight of Verified Exports and Restrictions on Weaponizable Advanced Technology to Covered High-Risk Actors (AI OVERWATCH) Act. The proposed legislation aims to tighten export controls on advanced artificial intelligence chips and increase congressional oversight to prevent U.S. technology from reaching adversarial nations.
Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, who is a cosponsor of the bill, stated: “The passage of this legislation out of committee is a critical step toward protecting America’s technological edge. Advanced AI chips are foundational to economic growth and military power, and Congress has a responsibility to ensure they are not fueling the Chinese Communist Party’s military modernization or surveillance state. We must protect our world class innovation and the security of the American people.”
Under the AI OVERWATCH Act, licenses would be required for exporting, reexporting, or transferring certain high-performance AI chips to countries deemed as concerns. The bill also seeks to enhance transparency and accountability in the export licensing process. The Select Committee has previously emphasized that advanced semiconductors represent a strategic vulnerability in ongoing competition with the Chinese Communist Party.
By implementing stricter export controls and reinforcing congressional oversight, supporters argue that the act will help ensure American advances in AI support domestic interests and those of allies, rather than contributing to China's military or economic ambitions.
