U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs ranking member seeks Commerce Department answers on possible action against Bitmain and Sophgo

Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick questioning how the Department of Commerce is addressing national security risks linked to the Chinese cryptocurrency mining hardware manufacturer Bitmain, including whether it is considering enforcement actions. The letter highlights concerns about transparency and potential political influence given Bitmain’s reported business ties to American Bitcoin, a mining venture co-founded by Eric Trump. The letter points to the Department’s prior blacklisting of Sophgo Technologies Ltd., described as a Bitmain affiliate, for acting at the behest of Beijing to advance indigenous advanced chip production in ways that pose risks to U.S. and allied national security. It also references reports of federal investigations into whether Bitmain equipment could pose infrastructure risks, including the possibility of remote manipulation or vulnerabilities affecting the power grid, and cites reporting on “unusual” commercial terms allegedly extended by Bitmain to American Bitcoin, including equipment exchanged for future pledged Bitcoin rather than cash. Warren requested written responses by April 9, 2026, on what steps the Department has taken to assess whether to take any enforcement actions against Bitmain and Sophgo.