Senate Dems fight back on Trump's AI order
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Senate Democrats are starting to push back against President Trump's executive order limiting states from passing their own AI laws.
Why it matters: Democrats' opposition to the order highlights the difficult task for Congress — coming up with their own plan to regulate AI and agreeing on how far it should go.
Driving the news: Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the States' Right to Regulate AI Act on Wednesday to prohibit the Trump administration from using federal funds to implement the executive order.
- Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are also co-sponsoring the bill.
What they're saying: "While I am confident that the courts will strike down Trump's illegal power grab, Congress has a responsibility to assert its legislative authority," Markey said in a statement.
- "I will be pushing for a vote on this legislation as part of any appropriations legislation and urge my colleagues to join me in defending the right of states to regulate AI."
- Markey also filed the bill as an amendment to the Senate appropriations package.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) is working on a separate effort to try to block the executive order with Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Schatz spokesperson Mike Inacay told Axios' Maria Curi.
Reality check: Even though many Republicans in Congress agree that states should be able to regulate AI in the absence of federal standards, these Democratic-led efforts are unlikely to garner support from across the aisle.
