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House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that he rejected calls for an emergency session and a moratorium on AI, saying Congress would vote “tomorrow if we had the solution”. He instead proposed a White House meeting with executives to seek agreement on federal guardrails. Johnson is scheduled to send the House home after this week until after the November elections.
What Changed
- House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected calls for an emergency session and a moratorium on AI on Sunday, citing the race with China.
- He proposed a White House meeting of roughly seven or eight AI industry leaders and said he would hold it tomorrow.
- Asked about a kill switch, a federal AI regulator or pre-release approval of frontier models, he said: "Maybe all of it."
- Johnson is scheduled to send the House home after this week, while Democrats led by Rep. Sam Liccardo pressed to stay in session.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
A meeting before legislation
Johnson said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that lawmakers must “resist Congress jumping in and imposing some sort of emergency moratorium.” He tied that restraint to competition with Beijing: “If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate A.I., we will lose the race to China, and that is a threat to every single American.”
He endorsed a Saturday night post by David Sacks, co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, telling AI companies to “Stop pretending you need anyone else’s permission.”
Johnson said Sunday that roughly seven or eight industry leaders should meet with policymakers. “I’d do it tomorrow,” he said, adding that he had discussed the idea with President Donald Trump. “They probably should be summoned together at the White House.”
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said separate meetings on AI concerns may take place this week.
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Measures without a vote
Asked whether he could support a kill switch, a federal AI regulator or mandatory government approval of frontier models before release, Johnson replied, “Maybe all of it. And those are great ideas.” He did not say which measure, if any, he would bring to a vote.
The speaker said the companies seeking action do not agree on the rules. “There’s no consensus among them,” he said. “Congress is obviously less qualified than the people who are pushing this frontier to know all the ins and outs of it.”
“You have a corporate responsibility to make sure your products are safe,” Johnson said. “And for them to cry out for us to stop it, this is a partnership. They have got to be responsible on their own side.”
The dispute follows Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s Saturday call to slow development, a position backed by other AI executives. A national poll released this month found 70% of respondents were more worried than excited by AI.
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Democrats press for action
House Democrats led by Rep. Sam Liccardo of California called on Johnson Friday to keep the chamber in session until it advances bipartisan safeguards. Their letter cited model-transparency and evaluation mandates, kill-switch requirements and an antitrust waiver for companies cooperating on safety.
Proposals in the House include the FRONTIER Act from Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte of California and Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts. A Senate bill under development by Majority Leader John Thune and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Ted Cruz has not been introduced.
Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona said Johnson was “not meeting the moment” and called for Senate leaders to establish a select committee on AI. “A.I. does not care, once it becomes fully dangerous, whether we’re Chinese or American,” Gallego said.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will meet Tuesday to discuss AI guardrails.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Mike Johnson say about AI regulation on Sunday?
On CNN's State of the Union, Johnson said lawmakers must resist Congress imposing an emergency moratorium on AI and warned that an emergency session to regulate AI would mean losing the race to China. He said AI companies have a corporate responsibility to make their products safe.
What meeting did Johnson propose?
He proposed bringing roughly seven or eight AI industry leaders together with policymakers, probably at the White House. He said he would do it tomorrow and had discussed the idea with President Donald Trump.
Does Johnson support a kill switch or a federal AI regulator?
Asked about a kill switch, a federal AI regulator or mandatory government approval of frontier models before release, he said, "Maybe all of it. And those are great ideas." He did not say which measure, if any, he would bring to a vote.
What are Democrats asking for?
House Democrats led by Rep. Sam Liccardo asked Johnson on Friday to keep the House in session until it advances bipartisan AI safeguards. Sen. Ruben Gallego called for a Senate select committee on AI, and Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will meet Tuesday on AI guardrails.
Which AI bills are pending in Congress?
House proposals include the FRONTIER Act from Reps. Jay Obernolte and Lori Trahan. A Senate bill being developed by Majority Leader John Thune and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Ted Cruz has not been introduced.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai
