March 13, 2025
It's Thursday ... Congress is supposed to be on recess next week, so we'll be in your inboxes on Tuesday and Thursday, and sooner if there's news you need to know.
- Watch Axios.com for the latest on the government shutdown threats, and if there is a shutdown, we'll be back in your inboxes with our best intel on how it affects tech world.
📍 Situational awareness: Rep. Ted Lieu is moderating a breakout session on AI at the House Democratic retreat tomorrow morning, per a schedule we saw.
- Attendees will hear from AI Policy Network's Mark Beall and Alondra Nelson, the ex-Biden official who crafted the AI Bill of Rights.
1 big thing: Tech's wish list for Trump and AI
Major AI companies are hoping to shape how the White House will approach AI policy as the government shifts from a risk-averse approach to one of full-throttle acceleration, Ashley and Axios' Mackenzie Weinger report.
Why it matters: Trump administration officials have made it clear beating China is a major priority, and have been knocking down or reshaping Biden-era AI policy focused on safety.
- March 15 marks the deadline for comment on the Office of Science and Technology Policy's "Development of an Artificial Intelligence Action Plan," following President Trump's executive order calling for a new AI policy plan.
Catch up quick: We already summed up what Anthropic and OpenAI told the White House. Here are a few more notable filings we reviewed:
Google: The company calls for AI investment both federally and locally, for balanced export controls, public-private partnerships with national labs, and pre-emption of state-level AI laws.
- Google wants "a risk-based approach to AI applications based on existing regulations" rather than a new set of laws, and that data remains accessible for AI learning.
- The government should procure and adopt AI, and promote U.S. policy internationally, Google says.
Microsoft: The tech giant and major partner of OpenAI calls for investment in AI infrastructure, skills-based training and access to data in a summary of their filing seen by Axios.
- The company wants to see federal permitting for data center and energy projects streamlined, along with boosting the electric grid and supply chains.
- Stronger protections against AI fraud and prioritizing cybersecurity for AI applications are key as well, Microsoft writes, along with support for NIST and bills like the CREATE AI Act.
Mozilla: The corporation behind the Firefox web browser, which offers an open-source LLM AI model, writes to the White House about needing to mitigate risks and promote open-source technology, in a preview of its filing seen by Axios.
- Mozilla calls for government research and funding resources for AI, and says export controls on open-source AI models would be heavy-handed and hurt U.S. competition.
- The company thinks the government should employ open-source AI, and to update antitrust legislation so smaller players can compete in AI.
- The filing also calls for access to AI-related resource consumption data to manage energy resources better, and for deeper investment in educational programs to boost AI talent.
2. More AI "action plan" filings
TechNet: The tech lobbying group says that existing legislation often "already provides a way to more effectively regulate the safe use of AI" and it encourages an "incremental" approach to any new regulations in its filing, seen first by Axios.
- TechNet notes that as many in the field are already using the NIST Risk Management Framework, and suggests that any new regulations should incorporate these or similar voluntary standards.
- It also calls for ways to incentivize "responsible AI implementation" in the private sector, including tax credits, deductions, accelerated depreciation expensing for investments, or grants. It recommends increased federal funding for R&D.
- Pre-emption is a priority: "The federal government should look to impose a moratorium on state legislation related specifically to the development of frontier AI models until national standards are adopted."
IBM: The company highlights the "benefits" of open-source AI in its filing, suggesting that the Trump administration fund the National AI Research Resource or develop a national compute strategy to build shared computing and data resources.
- IBM recommends developing an "AI diplomacy" strategy and deputizing the State Department's Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technologies to "focus on export control restrictions on hardware, not AI model weights."
- IBM also wants the administration to work with Congress on legislation that preempts state AI laws.
Between the lines: Some common themes we observed include a balanced approach to export control, preemption of state laws, adequate funding and research, access to data through permissive copyright rules, and boosting infrastructure.
What's next: The administration has until mid-July to develop and submit the AI "action plan" called for in Trump's EO.
3. Catch me up: Kids online safety, FCC moves and more
🗣️ CTO nom: "Former Trump tech policy adviser Ethan Klein tapped for US CTO," per FedScoop.
🇨🇳 FCC natsec: FCC chair Brendan Carr announced today that he has established a Council for National Security within the agency to focus on threats posed by Beijing.
- Carr named his national security counsel Adam Chan as the director, according to the release.
✂️ FCC regs: The agency is asking for public comment on "every rule, regulation or guidance document that the FCC should eliminate to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens," our Axios colleague Tim Baysinger reports.
📱 Kids online safety: Google announced it has a legislative proposal to keep kids safe online in the wake of Utah becoming the first state to pass age verification legislation.
- The bill requires parental consent for app store downloads and puts the onus on Apple and Google.
- "Our legislative framework, which we'll share with lawmakers as we continue to engage on this issue, has app stores securely provide industry standard age assurances only to developers who actually need them — and ensures that information is used responsibly," writes Kareem Ghanem, Google's director of public policy.
📲 Meta responds: A Meta spokesperson sent a statement over in response to Google's proposal, stating that "it's unclear how they'll determine which apps are eligible to receive this data."
- "The simplest way to protect teens online is to put parents in charge. That's why legislation should require app stores to obtain parental consent before allowing children to download apps."
✅ Thank you for reading Axios Pro Policy, and thanks to editors Mackenzie Weinger and David Nather and copy editor Bryan McBournie.
- Do you know someone who needs this newsletter? Have them sign up here.
View archive




