One of Congress’s most prominent Republican China hawks is pressing the Trump administration to preserve a Biden-era safeguard against indirect semiconductor diversion just as Washington has begun allowing some powerful American AI chips back into China. The rule imposed broader licensing requirements on foundries and packaging companies producing certain advanced chips unless specified safeguards applied, including transactions involving approved chip designers or trusted packaging companies. The warning arrives as the Trump administration has already moved in the opposite direction on another major China semiconductor restriction. Republican lawmakers and former Trump officials raised concerns when the H200 rules were announced in January, while Democratic lawmakers have accused the administration of weakening safeguards around advanced AI technology. In June, Republican Sen. Jim Banks and Democratic Sen. Andy Kim called on BIS to tighten protections against Chinese companies obtaining custom advanced chips through overseas subsidiaries and contract foundries.