GOP leaders throw cold water on AI regulation despite apocalyptic industry warnings

GOP leaders in the Capitol and White House are throwing cold water on the notion of quickly adopting new AI safeguards, despite an apocalyptic new warning from industry titans about the threat the technology poses to humankind.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) quickly dismissed the idea of moving swiftly to enact new regulations on the rapidly developing AI industry. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday didn’t reject the idea of guardrails, but he said any regulation should be done in a “light-touch way that doesn’t squash innovation.”

And President Trump, who has long rejected such guardrails, doubled down on that opposition on Monday, warning that new restrictions on American companies would merely hobble the United States amid the global AI race, while benefiting adversaries like China.

“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The resistance from top Republicans all but ensures the House will leave Washington this week for a seven-week, premidterm break without acting on AI legislation, despite a pounding clamor from Democrats, and some Republicans, for new limits on the technology in the wake of the industry warnings.

It also highlights the legislative limits of the current Congress, which is practically defined by partisan gridlock, heading into midterm elections where the focus — and reward — has been in attacking the other side, not bilateral cooperation.

Democrats smell blood. They’re fighting to flip control of both chambers in November, and they’re highlighting the Republicans’ opposition to new AI regulations in hopes the partisan contrast helps Democrats at the polls.

Toward that end, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Monday urged Republican leaders to remain in Washington to allow Congress the time to adopt tougher safety protocols for the AI companies.

Jeffries did not promote specific reforms, but he urged Congress to delay its long, preelection recess “until something is done decisively to protect the safety and the well-being of the American people.”

“Republicans have completely abandoned their responsibility to legislate and engage in public policy efforts in a responsible fashion in the area of artificial intelligence,” Jeffries said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, called for a briefing for all senators about the dangers posed by AI.

“Warning bells are ringing louder than they ever have — and the Trump administration is looking the other way. Well, if they won’t hold themselves accountable, we will. And if Trump does not act, Congress must,” Schumer said in a statement Monday morning.

The topic of AI was already a campaign issue, but it was largely focused on the tangential controversy surrounding data centers, the massive facilities popping up around the country to satisfy AI’s thirst for storage and electricity.

The focus shifted sharply over the weekend, when a trio of AI trailblazers — Dario Amodei, Elon Musk and Sam Altman — stepped forward to urge a deceleration in the development of AI technology, citing the risks of global catastrophe. Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, penned a long blog post Saturday warning that a failure to tap the brakes and focus more intently on safety risks unleashing AI systems capable of orchestrating bioterrorist attacks, economic upheaval and other cataclysms.

“A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute,” Amodei wrote. He vowed that Anthropic would voluntarily slow its development and urged other companies to follow suit. Altman, who heads OpenAI, and Musk, who leads xAI, endorsed Amodei’s message.

The extraordinary warning has sparked urgent new calls from Democrats — and some Republicans — for Congress to step in immediately to adopt new guardrails that prioritize human safety.

Democratic Reps. Sam Liccardo (Calif.), George Whitesides (Calif.), Lori Trahan (Mass.) and Ted Lieu (Calif.) sent a letter to Johnson last week, urging him to have Congress “remain in session until Congress advances meaningful, bipartisan AI safeguards,” according to a copy obtained by The Hill.

“Reasonable minds may disagree about precisely how Congress should regulate this rapidly evolving technology. We cannot disagree about the imperative for Congress to act. Instead of action, you have announced vacation,” they argued, pointing to Johnson’s decision to cancel the last two weeks of the September session.

“To our children who will have read a post-apocalyptic history, ‘Why Congress Slept’” — likely written by agentic AI — our inaction will be inexplicable, and unforgivable,” they added.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has also called for Congress to convene a “special session,” arguing in an interview Sunday on CNN that it’s not her job and position “to hope for the best, to do nothing, and sit on my hands.” Luna said she is working with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on an “initial framework” to address AI concerns.

But Johnson instead has been pushing to meet with AI executives first to come up with what he says should be a “balanced approach” regarding regulation, rather than rushing into implementing guardrails. He told reporters Monday that such a meeting could take place at the end of this week or early next week, and it would include Trump.

“The reflex of legislative bodies is to cover things up with red tape and in hyperregulation. If you do that, then you lose your edge, and that is a national security concern for the American people,” Johnson said.

Thune also urged caution about rushing toward regulation, even as he acknowledged some would be necessary.

“Obviously there’s a responsibility for the companies to do that when it comes to the frontier on some of these models,” he said. “There is a way in which Congress can put guardrails around those types of more consequential threats without in any way harming our ability to stay ahead in the AI race, which I also think is very important.”

Trump went a step further, saying there’s no role for Congress at all in the AI space.

“We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Asked about whether he agrees with Trump’s social media post, Johnson said, “That’ll be part of the discussion the president has with the AI providers and all of us as we get into that meeting.”

“What the president is referring to is the necessity of maintaining our edge over our international competitors,” he continued. “I think we all can agree that’s an important thing. So we will strike the right balance, but we are not going to act irrationally or haphazardly.”

Johnson, perhaps inadvertently, touched on one of the major obstacles facing Congress as it weighs an approach to AI: The technology it would be regulating is so advanced and esoteric that it’s unclear whether most lawmakers can grasp the changes they’d be voting on.

There’s also the question of how effective new regulations would be if they governed only American AI companies. Some experts stress the importance of securing a global pact encompassing all the world’s AI giants, wherever they are.

Members of Congress have introduced dozens of bills addressing artificial intelligence, but action has yet to be taken on these measures. Last week, Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) introduced the bipartisan Stop Rogue AI Act, aimed at ensuring businesses and federal agencies can spot and stop dangerous AI agents operating within their networks. In July, Reps. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) and Lieu introduced the AI Kill Switch Act, requiring AI system developers to “maintain the technical capability to throttle, suspend, or shut them down.”