Republicans are jammed between warnings of existential risk from the AI industry and the demands of their party leaders.
Vice President JD Vance will speak Tuesday morning to the House GOP Conference, where the Trump administration’s position could become clearer on what it will or won’t accept for any guardrails for the fast-moving technology.
And Senate Republicans are expected to discuss AI policy during a weekly closed-door lunch Tuesday — their first in-person meeting since initial warnings from an industry researcher that AI could destroy humanity.
But the meetings may also spotlight the mismatch between the growing sense of urgency among some rank-and-file Republicans and President Donald Trump’s stark demands against any regulation. Trump on Monday called the alleged dangers posed by the tech a “HOAX.”
Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune moved carefully Monday, saying there is potentially a role for Congress to put guardrails on the technology while also expressing concerns about stifling innovation amid an AI arms race with China.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise in an interview Monday evening explicitly backed Trump’s comments, adding that current law already addresses some of the major concerns about AI dangers. A number of other GOP members who spoke with POLITICO also made clear they aren’t interested in engaging on the issue.
But some members on both sides are antsy for more urgency.
Sen. John Kennedy will push for passage Wednesday through unanimous consent on a bill that would require companies to build a “kill switch” into their artificial intelligence models, he told reporters Monday.
Rep. Jay Obernolte, who has an AI safety package he crafted with Rep. Lori Trahan, said “there’s an urgent need to pass something” and that he’s still pressing his colleagues to support his bill. It’s gotten a lukewarm reception from both parties, however.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday delivered his most urgent call to date for guardrails on AI models.
“It’s very real, despite what Donald Trump has to say about that issue as well, and it requires decisive congressional action immediately,” Jeffries said at a press conference, calling on Johnson to keep lawmakers in session.
But the House is only in town until the end of the week and Johnson made clear Monday he’s not likely to move legislation before the midterms — certainly not at the expense of keeping the chamber in session past this week.
Thune, for his part, is locked in negotiations in his chamber with Sen. Amy Klobuchar over a bipartisan AI safety bill he introduced a version of in 2023.
But the majority leader said Monday Klobuchar was “reluctant to move forward” with a revised bill without more Democratic support. In a brief interview Monday, Klobuchar said she’s working to strengthen the proposal.
“It’s probably TBD” if an AI bill could pass by the end of the year, Thune told reporters Monday.
What else we’re watching:
— CRYPTO SHOWDOWN IN SENATE — A landmark effort to incorporate cryptocurrency into the architecture of U.S. financial regulation is poised for a dramatic showdown Tuesday on the Senate floor. This afternoon’s procedural vote outcome remains up in the air, setting the stage for an eleventh-hour scramble for the two parties to strike a deal that would unlock the bipartisan support necessary to advance the bill. Democrats emerged from a meeting in Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office Monday evening saying they planned to send Republicans a counteroffer covering outstanding issues, including on ethics provisions they’re pushing to more aggressively rein in Trump’s family businesses.
— PROGRESSIVES PAN DATA CENTER BILL — Some House progressives are withholding support for a bipartisan proposal to regulate data center electricity costs, the first signs of any opposition to the bill from members of Congress. Top progressives told POLITICO they are undecided about supporting the Ratepayer Protection Act when it comes to the House floor Tuesday, saying they think the measure doesn’t go far enough. Though they might not have the numbers to tank the bill in the House, their opposition could muddy the bill’s path to passage in the Senate and delay it becoming law.
Mia McCarthy, Jordain Carney, Kelsey Brugger, Jasper Goodman, Amelia Davidson and Nico Portuondo contributed to this report.
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