Frustrated with Congress failing to enact national artificial intelligence regulations, President Donald Trump took matters into his own hands Thursday night and signed an executive order strong-arming states into setting industry-friendly regulations only.
Republicans have spoken out against Big Tech and the potential dangers of uncontrolled AI expansion. Yet as of Friday afternoon, not a single AI-cautious Republican member of Congress has condemned the order, with only one commenting on the action at all.
“President Trump is right: we need federal standards to protect kids, creators, consumers, and conservatives across the entire country,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., posted on X on Friday. “I look forward to continuing to work with the President to draft the federal framework he has called on Congress to pass.”
While not a moratorium on state-level AI regulations – something U.S. lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to strip out of two major bills this year – the executive order cracks down on states with more restrictive laws.
Under the order, states with AI laws that the Trump administration says “harm innovation” would lose access to crucial broadband funds and could even face lawsuits from the U.S. Attorney General’s newly established AI Litigation Task Force.
