Tech Leaders Urge AI Rules, but Washington Shows Little Appetite to Act

Technology executives are intensifying their calls for government oversight of artificial intelligence, but their appeals are meeting resistance in Washington, where partisan divisions and election-year pressures have slowed movement on the issue.

President Donald Trump has emerged as a leading voice against new limits, describing efforts to restrict the technology on Monday as a "conspiracy." Vice President JD Vance and other senior Republicans have struck a cautious note, while House Speaker Mike Johnson has largely left the matter to the White House.

Democrats are pushing for a stronger response. House members met privately on Tuesday to discuss AI, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was set to host colleagues for an expert briefing on Wednesday. Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is on the ballot this year, has called for broad action, and former President Barack Obama has urged those seeking the White House to craft a "very clear plan" for addressing AI.

The gap between industry warnings about AI's risks and the federal government's ability to act was captured by Max Stier, president and chief executive of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, who said the signals from political leaders do not reflect an understanding of the crisis. "Delay is going to prove very costly," he said.

There are exceptions to the partisan split. A Washington AI conference on Tuesday was to feature both Sanders and Trump ally Steve Bannon. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., opened an investigation last week into OpenAI after its artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own.

Congress has historically been reluctant to regulate the technology sector. The Biden administration urged lawmakers to develop AI policies after a 2023 executive order that Trump rescinded soon after returning to office. A bipartisan Senate working group recommended in 2024 that the U.S. spend at least $32 billion over three years on AI development and safeguards, but little followed. A bipartisan children's internet safety bill has also repeatedly stalled.

"We never do anything until we have a holy heck moment," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a former technology executive.

Lawmakers in both parties agree more guardrails are needed, yet even narrow efforts have collapsed. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., questioned whether Congress could deliver on AI given its record on budgets and election security. Ossoff, speaking at a Sunday reelection rally in Athens, Georgia, said the debate reflects Washington's inability to tackle major challenges.

Some signs of urgency have appeared. After tech leaders called for oversight on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he spoke that night with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., about a path forward on legislation. He said Congress could put guardrails around the most consequential threats without harming the U.S. position in the AI race.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., plans to offer a "kill switch" measure on Wednesday requiring developers to be able to shut down their systems if needed, though it would need full Senate support. Hawley, who has introduced bipartisan legislation on federal tracking of AI safety concerns, said the priority is protecting workers, children online and communities near data centers, while ensuring frontier models do not "blow up the internet and/or the world."

Still, with the election calendar narrowing, fast legislative movement appears unlikely. Johnson sounded downbeat on a legislative response, calling instead for Trump to convene AI leaders, and warned that legislatures tend to respond with "red tape and hyper regulation." Any bill would need Trump's backing, which currently seems improbable.

Veterans of past crises find the inertia puzzling. Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff during the financial crisis, said he had never seen an industry or chief executive ask for regulation and oversight. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., a leader of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said Congress is capable of passing stronger rules and that support exists for multiple bills, but described the issue as one of leadership as the House prepared to adjourn for the elections.