Republicans scrap deal in 'big, beautiful bill' to lower restrictions on states' AI regulations
A deal that had been reached between Sens Marsha Blackburn R-Tenn and Ted Cruz R-Texas over how states can regulate artificial intelligence has been pulled from President Donald Trump's big beautiful bill The collapsed agreement would have required states seeking to access hundreds of millions of dollars in AI infrastructure funding in the big beautiful bill to refrain from adopting new regulations on the innovation for five years a compromise down from the original years It also included carveouts to regulate child sexual abuse material unauthorized use of a person s likeness and other deceptive practices Blackburn informed Monday night that she is withdrawing her endorsement for the agreement TRUMP WARNS OF 'WHOPPING TAX INCREASE' IF SENATE FAILS TO PASS HISTORIC BILL For as long as I ve been in Congress I ve worked alongside federal and state legislators parents seeking to protect their kids online and the creative population in Tennessee to fight back against Big Tech s exploitation by passing regulation to govern the virtual space Blackburn stated in a announcement to Fox News While I appreciate Chairman Cruz s efforts to find acceptable language that allows states to protect their citizens from the abuses of AI the current language is not acceptable to those who need these protections the majority of she continued This provision could allow Big Tech to continue to exploit kids creators and conservatives Blackburn added Until Congress passes federally preemptive decree like the Kids Online Safety Act and an online privacy framework we can t block states from making laws that protect their citizens When inquired about Blackburn pulling her backing for the compromise Cruz communicated Punchbowl News the night is young ELON MUSK SAYS US IS RULED BY 'PORKY PIG PARTY' AS TRUMP DEFENDS HIS VISION AGAINST FORMER ALLY'S CRITICISMBut Blackburn appears to now be co-sponsoring an amendment with Sen Maria Cantwell D-Wash that would thoroughly pull the AI moratorium from the bill Cantwell had earlier announced that the since-scrapped deal between Blackburn and Cruz would do nothing to protect kids or consumers It's just another giveaway to tech companies Cantwell announced in a comment Monday This provision gives AI and social media a brand-new shield against litigation and state regulation This is Section on steroids Blackburn is one of several Republicans who have expressed concerns about the -year ban on state AI regulation Last week Republican governors wrote a joint letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S D and House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La calling for the pause to be scrapped absolutely AI is already deeply entrenched in American industry and society people will be at pitfall until basic rules ensuring safety and fairness can go into effect the letter reads Over the next decade this novel hardware will be used throughout our society for harm and good It will significantly alter our industries jobs and approaches of life and rebuild how we as a people function in profound and fundamental tactics That Congress is burying a provision that will strip the right of any state to regulate this apparatus in any way without a thoughtful general debate is the antithesis of what our Founders envisioned it continued Various House Republicans also reported they do not promotion the AI provision including Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene who admitted she detected out about it a sparse days after voting for Trump's spending bill Full transparency I did not know about this Greene wrote on X I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there
