WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee has summoned former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify before Congress about the scandal rocking the chipmaker and its alleged links to China, warning both men that they could face subpoenas if they refuse to appear.
Senator Tim Scott, the committee's Republican chairman, sent letters to both men on Thursday asking them to testify voluntarily. Huang has been asked to appear at a public hearing on December 3, and Lutnick at a separate hearing on December 10, according to the letters.
"Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology," Scott wrote. "I am requesting that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify before the Senate Banking Committee. The American people deserve answers."
Scott warned that if either man fails to appear voluntarily, "the Committee is prepared to use all tools at our disposal, including subpoenas, to conduct this legitimate and necessary oversight."
The summons follows Huang's abrupt resignation on Thursday as chief executive of Nvidia, the company he co-founded and led for 33 years. His departure came after reports of extramarital affairs, including one involving Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, who U.S. officials suspect of having links to China's Ministry of State Security.
The espionage allegations have not been established. Beijing has rejected the claims, and U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department had not reached any conclusion about whether Alice Huang was involved in espionage. Nvidia has said it has no reason to believe national security or its trade secrets were compromised.
The Senate inquiry is not the only congressional action. Three House committees have asked Huang and Nvidia general counsel Tim Teter to appear for a closed-door interview on December 1 and 2, or face subpoenas, and Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey Kessler has been summoned for a December 3 hearing. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said Huang has agreed to testify behind closed doors, with the date still under negotiation.
A Commerce Department spokesperson said Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the Senate committee. Lutnick's role in regulating exports of advanced U.S. technology to China has come under scrutiny, with reports that he delayed efforts to tighten restrictions on exports of advanced AI chips to China.
Nvidia's board named chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive while it searches for a permanent successor. The company's market value has fallen below $4 trillion for the first time since July 2025.
