Congress faces growing pressure to regulate artificial intelligence, but political divisions and Trump’s opposition threaten action before midterm recess.
Efforts to introduce new federal safeguards for artificial intelligence in the United States are facing political deadlock, with President Donald Trump rejecting calls for tighter regulation.
Trump dismissed concerns about the risks posed by AI on Monday, writing on social media that fears of the technology “taking over the World” and “destroying Humanity” were a “HOAX.”
He also argued that AI only needs a “strong and smart” president rather than additional government guardrails.
Trump’s position puts him at odds with senior Democrats in Congress and some leading figures in the AI industry who have recently warned about the technology’s potential risks.
New federal AI safety legislation is unlikely to pass soon because any bill would need approval from both the House of Representatives and the Senate before reaching the president.
Republicans control both chambers, making it unlikely that Congress will support significant new restrictions without Trump’s backing.
The House is also due to begin its recess at the end of the week and is not expected to return until after the November midterm elections.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has called for the recess to be delayed until Congress takes action on AI safety.
“Congress should not leave town until something is done decisively to protect the safety and the wellbeing of the American people,” Jeffries told reporters on Monday.
A group of House Democrats also wrote to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson urging him to give lawmakers more time to debate the issue.
“Reasonable minds may disagree about precisely how Congress should regulate this rapidly evolving technology,” the lawmakers said. “We cannot disagree about the imperative for Congress to act.”
Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna also suggested that Congress should convene a special session to consider the issue.
But Johnson has shown little indication that he intends to delay the recess or convene lawmakers for a special session.
Asked whether the House would act on AI concerns before leaving Washington, Johnson said: “This is a very complex issue.”
He said Trump would soon meet AI executives at the White House to discuss the responsibility of technology companies to maintain safety and the possible role of government.
“We want to emphasise the necessity of [AI companies] providing safe products and self-regulating,” Johnson said, while adding that “there is also a role potentially for Congress to play.”
The extent of that role remains contested.
Democrats pushing for action are themselves divided over how AI should be regulated.
Proposals already before Congress range from independent safety reviews and a federal “kill switch” to a moratorium on data centres proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar are also working on legislation that would subject some AI companies to federal oversight.
“You don’t want to stifle innovation,” Thune said. “But I think you also want to make sure that the more advanced threats can be mitigated.”
Democratic Representative Lori Trahan has separately worked with Republican Representative Jay Obernolte on the Frontier Act.
The proposal would allow the government to halt the use of an AI model if officials determine that it poses an “imminent catastrophic risk”. It would also require independent audits of AI research laboratories.
“The federal government needs to put guardrails in place,” Trahan said, warning that AI would eventually affect every part of society.
“I don’t think we have any more time to wait. This is all hands on deck,” she said.
Some Republicans, including Johnson, have instead argued that AI companies should take greater responsibility for regulating their own products.
David Sacks, one of Trump’s senior AI advisers, said some warnings from industry insiders about existential risks had been exaggerated.
“I think this is becoming a panic,” Sacks told CBS News.
“First and foremost, it is on them to make their products safe,” he said. “They should tell us how they should do that. If they can’t do that, they should step aside for people who can do that.”
Sacks also challenged Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has called for a slowdown in AI development.
“Why are you acting like this is something that you can’t control?” Sacks said. “If you can’t control it, then don’t do it.”
Some experts agree that AI companies may have to take responsibility in the absence of federal legislation.
Asad Ramzanali, director of AI and Technology Policy at Vanderbilt University, said he would welcome congressional legislation requiring safety, testing and bias assessments.
“But absent that action, the companies have autonomy.”
Other technology figures have questioned the recent warnings from AI industry employees.
Trevor Traina, a technology executive and former diplomat, said most Americans had yet to encounter serious problems with AI.
Alexandra Reeve Givens, who previously worked in government and now leads the Center for Democracy and Technology, said she did not expect meaningful federal AI regulation to pass in the near future.
The Trump administration has established a voluntary framework allowing AI companies to submit models and tools for government assessment, but Givens said the framework remains secret.!”There’s no clear standard to make sure that the approach is even grounded in the rule of law.”
The White House approach, combined with divisions in Congress and a lack of agreement over the risks that need to be addressed, is making federal AI regulation increasingly difficult. “There is no question that federal legislation is challenging in this climate,” Givens said. “It’s not that AI is ungovernable, it’s that each risk needs a tailored approach.”
