RELEASE: Murphy, Schatz Introduce Legislation to Reverse Trump's State AI Law Moratorium

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) in introducing the Guaranteeing and Upholding Americans' Right to Decide Responsible AI Laws and Standards (GUARDRAILS) Act to repeal President Trump's executive order seeking to prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence. The Trump administration renewed its call for a preemption of state-level AI laws as part of its National AI Policy Framework which was released last week. The GUARDRAILS Act would prohibit the executive order issued in December 2025 from taking effect so that states do not have federal funds withheld for enacting commonsense safeguards around AI.

"Donald Trump only cares about protecting the profits of his billionaire buddies in the AI industry," said Murphy. "States have to be able to protect American families from a technology that could destroy millions of jobs, addict kids to harmful chatbots, drive up utility bills, and deepen the crisis of loneliness and meaning our country faces."

"Embracing the amazing possibilities of AI can't come at the cost of leaving Americans vulnerable to its profound risks, which is exactly what President Trump's Executive Order tries to do," said Schatz. "Discouraging states from enacting common-sense regulation that protects people from potential AI harms is dangerous. Congress has a responsibility to get this technology right, but states must not be penalized for acting in the public interest in the meantime."

In addition to Murphy and Schatz, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Andy Kim (D-N.J.). Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.-8), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-7), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-33), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-53), and April McClain Delaney (D-Md.-6).

The full text of the legislation is available here.