Senators Warren and Rounds Call on Secretary Lutnick and Secretary Rubio to Prevent Offshoring and Keep Critical AI Infrastructure Here in the U.S.
“U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence should be built at home by American workers.”
“AI is a transformative technology, and it is imperative that we harness its potential to enhance our security and prosperity.”
“Export controls play a key role in both discouraging companies from outsourcing critical technologies like AI and ensuring those technologies are not misused once exported.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Mike Rounds (R-SD), a Member of the Committee, sent a letter to Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Department of State, and Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the Department of Commerce, requesting the Administration reinstate provisions of the AI Diffusion Rule that will serve as a backstop against U.S. companies offshoring our advantage in AI. In May, the Commerce Department announced a rescission of the Biden Administration’s AI Diffusion Rule, but the Trump Administration has committed to issuing a replacement rule.
“While the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has demonstrated an ability to be a fast follower in algorithmic advances, the United States holds a structural advantage through its abundance of computing infrastructure. Across the United States, American workers are building scores of large AI computing clusters, as well as the supporting industries – steel, energy, manufacturing – to sustain this infrastructure,” the Senators wrote.
The Senators continued: “This core American advantage should remain at home. Multinational corporations, attracted by generous subsidies and preferential treatment, are eager to locate an increasingly large portion of their AI infrastructure outside of the United States. If left unchecked, outsourcing could move the center of gravity for cutting-edge AI training and deployment away from the United States. This could, in turn, imperil U.S. security, ceding the development of advanced AI for military applications to countries that are not aligned with American values and interests. And it would deprive many Americans of the jobs and economic benefits associated with this once-in-a-generation AI infrastructure buildout.”
The Senators concluded: “Export controls play a key role in both discouraging companies from outsourcing critical technologies like AI and ensuring those technologies are not misused once exported. While the Diffusion Rule was rightfully criticized for being overly complicated and burdensome, it is essential that the Administration issues a replacement that keeps the center of gravity for AI infrastructure in the United States and imposes strong, robust security requirements on overseas facilities."
Ranking Member Warren has been outspoken about preserving U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and has consistently pushed for safeguards that keep core infrastructure here at home.
- In February, Warren and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote a letter to Lutnick to call on the Trump Administration to close loopholes and strengthen export controls that are undermining the U.S.'s technological advancements with the PRC.
- In April, she urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik to swiftly impose export restrictions on NVIDIA’s H20 and other AI chips to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), citing national security concerns and the Trump Admin’s handling of the issue.
- Earlier this month, she sent a letter with Jim Banks (R-Ind.) to Jensen Huang, Nvidia President and CEO, warning that his visit to China could undermine U.S. export controls and legitimize companies that cooperate closely with the PRC’s military and intelligence services.
- Earlier this week top Senate Democrats, including Ranking Member Warren, sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Lutnick expressing concern over serious national security risks following the Trump administration’s decisions reversal allowing U.S.companies to sell advanced semiconductors to China
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