VP Vance on artificial intelligence
Hundreds of state legislators are urging Congress not to include a proposed provision in the annual defense bill that would nullify state-level regulations on artificial intelligence. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Punchbowl News earlier this month that House Republicans were looking to include language that would ban the enforcement of state AI laws in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2026. A bipartisan group of more than 200 state lawmakers wrote in an open letter to the House and Senate that this year’s defense bill includes “a blanket prohibition on state and local AI and automated decision-system regulation.” The legislators argue that this ” would abruptly cut off active democratic debate in statehouses and impose a sweeping pause on policymmaking at the very moment when communities are seeking responsive solutions.” The letter added, “We appreciate congressional engagement on AI and stand ready to collaborate on thoughtful national policy.” It continues, “But after years without comprehensive federal action on privacy and social media harms, a broad preemption of state and local AI laws until Congress acts would set back progress and undercut existing protections.” The letter concludes with a call for Congress “to reject any provision that overrides state and local AI legislation in this year’s NDAA and to support the development of, rather than the dismantling of, responsible AI policy.”
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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