Moolenaar presses Trump admin to confirm chip due-diligence rule still stands amid loophole fears

does the rule everyone agreed on actually still apply? That's not a gotcha. It's the kind of follow-up that separates real oversight from press-release oversight. Chip export controls only work if the paperwork behind them is airtight, and "we think it's still in force" is not the same thing as "it's still in force."

The whole point of the due-diligence requirement was to close the gap where advanced AI chips slip out the back door through resellers or shell buyers who eventually route them to Beijing. That's not a hypothetical. It's happened before with less sensitive tech, and the administration knows it. So when a Republican committee chairman has to ask the Trump administration to put something in writing, that tells you the ambiguity is real, not manufactured.

There's also a political dimension here that shouldn't be ignored. Trump's team has been tougher on China than most of its predecessors, and deservedly gets credit for that. But toughness on paper means nothing if enforcement quietly softens once the cameras move on. Moolenaar isn't undercutting the administration by asking this. He's making sure the policy matches the rhetoric.

Nobody benefits from a chip policy that sounds airtight in speeches and leaks at the seams in practice. If the rule stands, say so plainly and end the guessing game. If it doesn't, own that decision instead of letting it slide by omission. Either answer is fine. What isn't fine is silence that lets everyone assume whatever they want.