Congress Returns, No AI Action Before Midterms
Congress Returns, No AI Action Before Midterms
The News
Congress returned to Washington on Monday for a brief pre-midterms session with public anxiety over artificial intelligence rising — and no plan to act on it.
The House is scheduled to be in session for one week and the Senate for three, according to the Florida Phoenix, leaving Republicans little time to pass laws or confirm nominees before voters go to the polls in November.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he will meet with AI executives "soon," possibly this week or early next week. He also said it is President Donald Trump who should "summon everyone together" and lead on AI from the White House, rather than Congress.
Timeline
A former AI researcher warned that the technology could kill all humans by the end of the decade, a claim The Epoch Times reports has prompted calls from lawmakers for Congress to act.
Both chambers return to Capitol Hill for a short session before lawmakers head back to the campaign trail until mid-November.
Politico's Capitol agenda reports Congress is not rushing after the AI alarms, citing a tight pre-midterms calendar and the lack of consensus on any plan.
The House meets as pressure to regulate AI grows, PBS NewsHour reports, with Johnson pushing the issue toward the White House.
Johnson tells reporters his meetings with AI executives could come as soon as this week or early next week.
Reactions
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for an all-senators briefing from the Trump administration on AI guardrails, USA Today reports.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, one of the House's loudest small-government conservatives, suggested federal intervention is warranted on AI, warning there is "a unique issue" at play with the technology, according to the Washington Examiner.
Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is pushing back against creating a select committee on AI. Pallone would wield considerable influence over AI legislation if Democrats retake the House in November.
The Conservative Case for Rules
A Washington Examiner opinion piece argues for what it calls "the Hammurabi solution" — a strict-liability approach that holds AI companies and the individuals behind them accountable for the harms their systems cause.
What's Next
Johnson's meetings with AI executives are expected as soon as this week or early next week.
Schumer's requested all-senators briefing from the administration has not been scheduled publicly.
The House leaves after one week and the Senate after three, with lawmakers out until mid-November — meaning any serious AI legislation would land after the midterms, and after voters decide which party controls the House.
More
The fight is as much about turf as about technology. A select committee on AI would concentrate the issue in one place; Pallone's resistance reflects the existing committees' claim on it, with Energy and Commerce the likely home for any bill.
The political split is not the usual one. Roy, a conservative skeptic of federal power, is open to intervention, while Johnson is steering the question to the White House — leaving it unclear who in Washington actually owns the problem.
Poll
Should Congress regulate artificial intelligence before the midterms?
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