Title: American Companies Funding China's Military? You Don't Say...

So, the Select Committee on China—sounds important, right?—just dropped a report saying American companies are basically bankrolling China's semiconductor industry. Color me shocked. I mean, who didn't see this coming? We're talking about companies like Applied Materials, KLA, Lam Research... giants raking in billions while simultaneously arming our biggest geopolitical rival.

The "Profits Over Patriotism" Playbook

Let's be real: these companies aren't stupid. They know exactly where this tech is going. Chairman Moolenaar says they're "growing their profits at the expense of U.S. national security." You think? Give me a break. It's not like these chips are being used to power toasters. We're talking about weapons systems, AI, and all sorts of scary stuff.

And the numbers? Don't even get me started. TEL got 44% of its revenue from China in 2024. Lam Research? 42%. KLA? 41%. That's not just "doing business"; that's a dependency. We've created a monster, and now we're surprised it bites.

Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi whines that it "makes little sense to sell the CCP the chips they need to modernize their military." No duh. But here's the real question: Why are we even allowing it? Are our politicians really this naive, or are there other... incentives at play? I'm just asking questions here. Don't come at me.

Stockpiling for Armageddon?

The report also mentions the CCP is stockpiling lithography equipment. Stockpiling! Like they're prepping for some kind of semiconductor apocalypse. And get this: they're apparently getting equipment "just below current restrictions." So, they're not even breaking the rules, technically. They're just… exploiting loopholes big enough to drive a tank through.

And what are we doing about it? More recommendations. Align allied export controls, expand country-wide controls, widen the list of restricted entities... It's all just bureaucratic blah blah blah. Meanwhile, China is building a domestic chip industry that'll make them completely independent, and then where will we be? Screwed, that's where.

Offcourse, the report also suggests improving government-industry communication. As if a few more meetings will magically solve this mess. It's like trying to put out a wildfire with a water pistol.

The Whistleblower Fantasy

Oh, and they want to create a "whistleblower export control program." Because that always works, right? Encourage some low-level employee to risk their career and potentially their life to expose corporate wrongdoing? Yeah, that's gonna happen. Especially when the rewards are probably just a pat on the back and maybe a free lunch.

Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe it's all just a big misunderstanding. Nah, who am I kidding? This is a five-alarm dumpster fire, and we're all just standing around watching it burn.

So, What's the Real Story?

It's the same old story: greed trumps everything. American companies are willing to sell out their own country for a quick buck, and our politicians are either too incompetent or too compromised to stop them. And we, the poor saps stuck in the middle, get to watch the whole thing unfold in real-time. Ain't that America?