Jensen Huang Expected to Testify to House Committees Within a Week

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast expects former NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to testify before Congress within a week, Reuters reported on November 12, 2026, after congressional staff contacted the chipmaker's team. The statement sets an expected window for an appearance. It does not finalize a date.

Mast told reporters that staff spoke with NVIDIA's team on the night of November 11, 2026. His comments provide the only public timeline for Huang's appearance. The formal request already sent to Huang concerns a joint, closed-door briefing rather than a public hearing.

The story matters beyond one executive's calendar. It sits at the intersection of two high-stakes congressional inquiries: an examination of NVIDIA's security practices and Huang's personal interactions, and the broader debate over whether advanced U.S. AI chips should face additional legislative export restrictions before year's end.

What did the three committees request?

The Foreign Affairs Committee released the request on November 5, 2026. Mast signed the November 4, 2026, letter together with two other chairmen:

• Brian Mast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
• John Moolenaar, Chairman of the House Select Committee on China
• Rick Crawford, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

The three signatures bring three panels into the proposed session. That breadth signals the scope of the inquiry, which spans diplomacy, China policy and intelligence oversight in a single closed-door briefing.

The letter proposed November 18, 2026, for the briefing. It asked Huang to accept that date or provide an alternative falling on a congressional session day by November 11. Mast's new expectation does not establish that November 18 has been finalized as the appearance date. The deadline for proposing an alternative has now passed, which is consistent with Mast's statement that staff contacted NVIDIA on the night of November 11.

What subjects will the briefing cover?

The requested subjects are twofold, according to the committee letter. First, NVIDIA's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage. Second, Huang's interactions with Megaspeed executive Alice Huang, whom the chairmen described as a publicly reported People's Republic of China (PRC) intelligence asset.

The letter also identifies PRC infiltration and access to cutting-edge U.S. technology as central to the three committees' investigative work. Huang's interactions are therefore one part of a requested examination that also covers NVIDIA's safeguards and the possibility of foreign access to sensitive technology and information.

The chairmen connected those subjects to a broader national-security inquiry. In the letter, they wrote: "It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk." The quote, kept verbatim from the November 4 correspondence, frames the briefing as fact-finding with potential legislative consequences rather than a routine oversight conversation.

What changed at NVIDIA on the same day?

The testimony development came as NVIDIA announced on November 12, 2026 that Huang had resigned as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately. The resignation removes the company's founder-era leadership on the same day Congress publicly disclosed its expectation of his testimony.

The succession facts, as announced:

• Colette Kress agreed to serve as interim CEO while continuing as executive vice president and CFO.
• The board initiated a search for a permanent chief executive.
• The board said it would consider both internal and external candidates.

The timing links the leadership transition directly to the congressional pressure. Huang resigned as president, CEO and board member in a single announcement. The effective date was immediate, leaving no transition period for the departing chief executive.

How do export controls frame the testimony?

House Speaker Mike Johnson separately told reporters on November 12 that he supports limiting semiconductor exports to China and sees a developing congressional consensus behind that position. Johnson said recent developments could change some lawmakers' minds. The Speaker's statement elevates the issue from committee-level oversight to the leadership level of the House.

Moolenaar took a more specific legislative position in a November 12 statement. He urged Congress to pass bipartisan export-control legislation in the year-end national defense bill. He also called on NVIDIA to change its corporate practices and appoint leadership that prioritizes national security.

Moolenaar's policy principle was direct. American AI companies, he said, should not jeopardize national security by giving Chinese companies access to their most advanced chips.

The year-end national defense bill is the legislative vehicle to watch. It is the must-pass defense authorization measure that Congress completes annually, and Moolenaar's statement identifies it as the intended carrier for new export-control provisions.

Why do these inquiries matter for the AI industry?

These positions place the expected briefing within two connected congressional inquiries. The first is the committees' examination of NVIDIA's security practices and Huang's interactions. The second is the wider debate over whether advanced AI-chip exports should face additional legislative restrictions.

NVIDIA occupies a singular position in that debate. Its most advanced chips power the training of frontier AI models, and the question of whether Chinese companies gain access to them sits at the center of U.S. technology policy. The chairmen's letter makes that access explicit as an investigative concern, identifying PRC infiltration and access to cutting-edge U.S. technology as central to their work.

The company now faces simultaneous pressure on three fronts: the closed-door briefing on its security protocols, the leadership transition following Huang's resignation, and the legislative push for tighter export controls that could constrain its market.

What happens next?

For the committees, the immediate step is settling the timing and format of Huang's appearance and obtaining his account of the safeguards and interactions described in their letter. Mast's expectation of testimony within a week suggests that resolution is close, though the format remains a closed-door briefing rather than a public hearing.

For Congress more broadly, the larger question is whether the concerns driving that inquiry produce export-control provisions in the year-end defense bill. Johnson's stated consensus, Moolenaar's explicit legislative call, and the three-chairman letter all point in the same direction: NVIDIA's next CEO will inherit not only a search process but a policy fight over who can buy the company's most advanced chips.