Opening Statement of Chairman Brian Babin at Full Committee Markup of H.R. 9341, H.R. 9363, H.R. 2385, H.R. 5351, H.R. 5584, H.R. 6461, H.R. 8893, H.R. 9333, H.R. 9334, and[...]

I would like to welcome everyone to this morning's full committee markup. Today, we will mark up ten bills on a topic that seems to dominate every newspaper, news channel, and podcast these days: artificial intelligence, or AI.

Most of us are already integrating AI into our lives, whether we realize it or not. For example, autocorrect and facial recognition systems on our phones, as well as filtering systems for emails and messages, depend on this technology. If you shop online, chances are products have been recommended using AI based on your past behavior, prices may be adjusted based on demand, and chatbots can help answer customer service questions. In banking, AI helps detect fraud and provide consumers with spending insights.

The United States is a global leader in AI innovation. Nearly 60 percent of the world's most-cited AI researchers work at American institutions, and our nation remains the destination of choice for top AI talent.

In addition to talent, the United States benefits from significant investment and infrastructure in this space. In 2025 alone, venture capital investment in U.S. AI companies reached approximately $194 billion-roughly three-quarters of all global AI investment. That does not even account for the enormous investments being made in cloud computing, advanced infrastructure, and data center construction across the country-which dwarf the Chinese market.

Last July, the White House released an AI Action Plan, along with an Executive Order, focused on accelerating innovation, strengthening national security, and establishing federal AI policy priorities.

In January, we held a hearing in this room with White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios to explore specific actions Congress could take to build on President Trump's AI Action Plan. In particular, we discussed the role of American innovation in AI and the national security challenges posed by foreign competitors, particularly as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to invest heavily in AI capabilities.

A key component of the AI Action Plan and the accompanying Executive Order was bolstering cybersecurity protections for our nation's critical infrastructure. One of the bills we have on the docket today, the AI Security and Innovation Act, supports that goal while maintaining continued U.S. leadership in AI research, development, and evaluation by authorizing the Center for AI Security and Innovation, or CAISI.

It's important that CAISI is adequately funded, and I look forward to our Committee continuing to have a conversation about how we achieve that.

I see we have amendments to increase authorization levels for CAISI, which I fully support. In fact, I think funding for CAISI should perhaps be higher than the proposed amendments given its importance at this time. We should, however, ensure that we authorize CAISI in a manner that does not undermine future progress on the bill, and I commit to working with the sponsors to ensure we get the number "right" going forward.

In total, we will mark up ten bipartisan bills this morning. Members of this Committee have worked diligently to address important challenges in the AI space while preserving America's competitive advantage.

These bills address a wide range of issues-from improving access to federal data resources for the next generation of AI systems to equipping Americans with the tools and training necessary to succeed in an AI-driven economy.

Through a variety of efforts, these bills reinforce partnerships among government, industry, and academia, recognizing that innovation does not happen in silos. They also invest in the workforce needed to sustain long-term leadership in this critical field.

Taken together, these bills will help advance America's AI ecosystem, expand opportunity, and reinforce our leadership in an increasingly competitive world. They provide access to federal computing, data, and resources necessary to propel future innovation and discovery. They also focus on voluntary consensus-based standards to meet complex challenges - something this Committee is very familiar with.

I am pleased to take up this legislation today and welcome constructive amendments as we work together to make these bills as strong and effective as possible.

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