House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a firm “no” on Wednesday to calls for removing a provision from President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” that would block states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) for the next decade.
The decision sets the stage for a potential clash with outspoken Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has vehemently opposed the moratorium.
Speaker Johnson justified his stance by citing “national security implications,” arguing that a patchwork of state-level AI regulations could hobble American innovation and leave the nation vulnerable to adversaries like China.
READ: Alabama Sen. Tuberville, Texas Sen. Cruz Intros Resolution To Designate June As “Life Month”
“We have to be careful not to have 50 different states hyper-regulating AI because it has national security implications,” Johnson told reporters. “If some of the deep blue states smother it with regulation, as they’re prone to do, then it might hamper our development and it could put us in a compromised position against our enemies.”
The controversial section, spanning pages 278-279 of the House-passed bill, would preempt all state statutes governing AI development, deployment, or liability until at least 2036. Representative Greene reportedly discovered the provision on Tuesday after seeing it shared on X, prompting her to investigate the legislation herself.
“I actually saw people sharing it on X and I said, ‘Wait a minute. I was never told about this. I didn’t read this part in [the] bill,’” Greene admitted.
Greene blasted the language as a “direct assault on federalism.”
In a Tuesday post on X, she stated she “would have voted NO” had she been aware of the provision. She further characterized the AI moratorium as “irresponsible,” given the rapid pace of technological innovation, arguing that preventing states from regulating AI for a full decade represents an unacceptable federal overreach.
“I cannot imagine destroying federalism, taking away state rights to regulate or make laws on AI for 10 years,” Greene told reporters. “Can you imagine? Ten years — we don’t even know what AI will be capable of in one year. We don’t know what AI will do in five years, let alone 10 years.” Despite her strong opposition, Greene expressed some hope that the Senate would remove the provision.
However, Speaker Johnson remains unswayed. “I like it in its current form,” he stated when asked about revising the provision in light of Greene’s complaints.
READ: Jonathan Turley Rips Judge For ‘Virtue Signaling’ From Bench In Inmate Sex Change Ruling
Supporters of the moratorium, including Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz, contend that a uniform national framework will foster innovation. Cruz has drawn parallels to a 1998 measure that “prevented needless state over-regulation” during the dot-com boom, suggesting a similar approach is necessary for AI.
The battle over AI regulation appears far from over, with the “big, beautiful bill” now headed to the Senate, where Representative Greene and her allies will likely continue their fight to restore states’ rights to govern the rapidly evolving technology.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
