Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Calling On Trump To Restrict China’s Access To America’s Advanced AI Chips

Washington D.C.- Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor, urging President Trump to protect American technology from China to ensure the US maintains our lead in the AI race. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

The evidence for the potential dangers of unchecked AI continues to grow and grow, but Donald Trump keeps brushing off Americans' concerns about AI's risks.

Trump justifies his support for unregulated AI by saying that's how we beat China in the "AI race," but his refusal to join us in blocking the sale of the most advanced chips to China does the opposite. It lets China get ahead of us.

The best tool we have to outcompete China and curb the CCP's AI ambitions is by prohibiting their access to the most advanced AI chips and manufacturing equipment.

I've been saying it for years. A group of us have introduced bipartisan legislation to the NDAA to stop it. National security experts agree we gotta stop the sale of these chips to China. Many of my Republican colleagues agree. But Trump doesn't, and he is the biggest barrier standing in the way.

Trump keeps saying he wants to curb China, but he keeps standing in the way of the best method we have to make sure China doesn't get ahead of us and beat us in this competition over what to do with AI. Stop selling them the most advanced chips, Donald.

Donald: listen already, because you're hurting America and making the world more dangerous by what you're doing on these chips.

Donald: if you want to get a leg up on China over AI, join us in stopping them from getting our chips. Plain and simple.

Trump could protect this technology - and America's lead in the AI race - today.

Before Trump meets with Xi Jinping next week, he needs to draw a line in the sand and say that blocking the Chinese Communist Party's access to our cutting-edge AI technology is non-negotiable.

This was a long-standing policy of the American government, of both parties, until Trump started listening to his cronies that America's security was up for negotiation with our enemies.

We need to reject the false choice Trump keeps protecting.

We can both maintain our lead in the AI race by restricting China's access to our technology, and we can put up guardrails to mitigate AI's risks at the same time.

Those goals aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, they're fundamentally intertwined.

AI development that leads to a catastrophic event and the loss of public trust will undermine American's leadership.

Democrats are working on measures to accomplish both these priorities, and Republicans need to get on board before it's too late.

Make no mistake: without guardrails to ensure safe, sustainable AI innovation, the AI race will become a race to the bottom, and that's no victory the American people.

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