Nvidia Fallout Brings Jensen Huang and Howard Lutnick Before Congress

Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are expected to testify before Congress in the coming weeks over the fallout from a reported affair between Huang and an alleged Chinese spy, The Guardian reported on Friday.

The woman at the centre of the reports, Alice Huang, is accused of spying for China. She is not related to Jensen Huang, who co-founded the company Nvidia.

Jensen Huang has resigned from Nvidia. Chief financial officer Colette Kress has taken over on an interim basis. The board's statement confirming his departure did not mention the spying allegations. It paid tribute to his profound contributions to the company he co-founded. According to reports, Donald Trump called Huang two days before he stepped down and urged him to fight for his job.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Huang and Nvidia must answer whether America's security had been jeopardised. He also said the Trump administration must account for what it did once it learned about Huang's reported relationship with Alice Huang. Schumer questioned what Trump knew when he personally invited Huang aboard Air Force One, the presidential plane, on a state visit to Beijing earlier in 2026.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he had demanded a classified briefing, a closed-door session on secret information, for all members of Congress about Nvidia.

Senate banking committee chair Tim Scott sent letters asking Lutnick and Huang to appear before the committee. He cited serious concerns about national security and the protection of sensitive US technology. Scott said he would consider subpoenaing Huang, meaning ordering him by law to appear, if he did not appear voluntarily. Lutnick has agreed to appear voluntarily to address questions.

House foreign affairs chair Brian Mast said congressional staff had spoken to Nvidia on Wednesday night about a date and location for Huang's testimony. House Speaker Mike Johnson said there was growing consensus in Congress on limiting the export of chips to China, meaning restricting the sale of those chips to buyers in that country.

The questions of what the administration knew, and when, remain the subject of the congressional requests described above.