The Senate parliamentarian’s decision late Saturday to allow Republicans to include a 10-year moratorium on enforcing state and local artificial intelligence laws in their megabill has sparked controversy within the GOP.
Rewriting the AI Moratorium
Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took the initiative to rewrite a House-passed AI moratorium to align with the chamber’s budgetary rules. His revised version made compliance with the moratorium a prerequisite for accessing billions in federal broadband expansion funds. Both parties presented their cases before the parliamentarian on Thursday.
Differing Opinions
Senator Cruz described the moratorium as ‘good policy’ in a recent interview, emphasizing its importance. On the other hand, Representative Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) justified the provision by highlighting the need to avoid a ‘labyrinth of regulation’ arising from ’50 different states going 50 different directions on the topic of AI regulation’.
While the parliamentarian’s ruling favored Republicans, several conservative senators, including Senators Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), expressed strong opposition to the provision.
Future Amendments
Senator Hawley has pledged to collaborate with Democrats on an amendment aimed at removing the controversial language once the megabill reaches the Senate floor. Additionally, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and the House Freedom Caucus have voiced their dissent, with Greene threatening to oppose the megabill H.R. 1 (119) if the AI moratorium remains intact.
