Last week the Trump administration announced a deal to lift a ban on US companies exporting technology to Chinese smartphone maker ZTE. ZTE has been largely shut down since the ban was announced last month, because the company depends heavily on Qualcomm chips, Google's software, and other US-made components.

Trade War! USA v. China Top memory and display suppliers drop Huawei after new US restrictions

China plans new data policy in response to Trump admin’s “bullying”

TikTok sues Trump admin., says ban is unconstitutional and political

Chip and phone supply chain shaken as Huawei faces mortal threat

Trump declares TikTok, WeChat “national emergency,” preps bans View more stories But now a bipartisan group of US senators is seeking to reverse Trump's decision and re-impose the export ban. The Wall Street Journal reports that the legislators have reached a deal to attach a ZTE export ban to the National Defense Authorization Act, a "must-pass" bill that authorizes funding for the military.

Supporters of the amendment include Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer and at least two Republican Senators—Sen Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). In the closely divided Senate, just a handful of Republican defections can be enough to give critics of President Trump a majority.

ZTE is facing the crippling US export ban after the company was caught selling telecommunications equipment to North Korea and Iran in violation of US sanctions laws. ZTE reached a settlement with the US government over the issue in 2017, but the Trump administration says that ZTE didn't keep the promises it made under that deal.

The deal required ZTE to pay an $890 million fine. It also required the company to discipline dozens of executives who were involved in the scheme, including withholding bonuses. But the US government says ZTE paid those bonuses out anyway and then lied about it to US officials.

In May, the Trump administration imposed a seven-year ban on US companies selling technology to ZTE. ZTE depends heavily on Qualcomm chips and Google's Android operating system, so losing access to US technology was a serious blow for the Chinese firm.

But Trump soon raised concerns about the deal, tweeting that it would lead to "too many jobs in China lost." So last week the US government announced a new deal that involved ZTE paying an additional $1 billion in fines, putting $400 million in escrow as a deterrent for future misdeeds and replacing its leadership.

"The president did this as a personal favor to the president of China as a way of showing some goodwill for bigger efforts," White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said on Fox News Sunday. Trump has been looking for China's help with this week's summit with North Korea in Singapore.

Last month, the Chinese government loaned $500 million to "build an Indonesian theme park that will feature a Trump-branded golf course and hotels." Critics have pointed to that deal as a potential conflict of interest as Trump negotiates with China over ZTE, trade, and other issues.

Meanwhile, critics in the Senate—including both Democrats and Republicans—argue that the ZTE deal is too lenient. Cotton acknowledged to the WSJ that the export ban might force ZTE out of business. "The death penalty is an appropriate punishment for their behavior," he said.

If the defense bill passes the Senate with the ZTE amendment attached, it would then go to the House of Representatives, which has already passed the legislation without ZTE language included. Negotiators from the two houses would then have to decide whether to include the ZTE language in the final version of the legislation.

The final bill will then go to Trump's desk for his signature. Trump could veto it, but that would set up an awkward confrontation with the Republican-controlled Congress and could delay funding for the military.