Senate parliamentarian greenlights state AI law freeze in GOP megabill

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Politico

06/22/2025 08:30 AM EDT


The Senate’s rules referee late Saturday allowed Republicans to include in their megabill a 10-year moratorium on enforcing state and local artificial intelligence laws — a surprising result for the provision that’s split the GOP.

Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) rewrote a House-passed AI moratorium to try to comply with the chamber’s budgetary rules. His version made upholding the moratorium a condition for receiving billions in federal broadband expansion funds. Both parties made their arguments before the parliamentarian Thursday.

“It’s good policy,” Cruz said of the moratorium in a recent interview. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) has also defended the provision, saying it’s necessary to avoid a “labyrinth of regulation” with “50 different states going 50 different directions on the topic of AI regulation.”

Though the parliamentarian delivered a victory for Republicans, a number of conservative senators including Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), have vocally opposed the provision.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/22/senate-parliamentarian-greenlights-state-ai-law-freeze-in-gop-megabill-00416499

[highplainsdem]

1. Incredibly stupid and dangerous.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. They do have a point about having "50 different laws"

for something that doesn't recognize state borders.

But the problem is that the GOP-controlled Congress does NOT want "regulation" and that is why the states had to step up to do it in the meantime.

[BadgerKid]

5. Same went for food labeling.

I wonder if the federal government has ever unbanned pesticides that states had banned or were trying to ban.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. The food labeling at least (finally) got addressed 35 years ago

H.R.3562 - Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990

I remember it well. Right now, as the agency is starting to delist certain food colors, there are states that have passed laws (or are drafting them) to forbid certain artificial colors in foods.

And with respect to pesticides - there were exemptions/waivers made for use of substances such as methyl bromide (which was often used to spray imported fruit) while it has been phased out for most uses. But it still being used in some cases and obviously that means issues -

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pesticide-vacation-n336576
https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/04/la-communities-toxic-fumigant-methyl-bromide/

(it was being used in piers/warehouses where fruit was stored as well)

[Hey Joe]

3. This is insane

Republicans, in their effort to deflect any kind of regulation on their billionaire benefactors, would risk the destruction of the economy and the environment. The greed is breathtaking.

[Basso8vb]

4. I never again want to hear any of these MAGA motherfuckers say ANYTHING about "states rights" ever again.

Fuck MAGA nazi scum.

[TheRickles]

8. States' rights only when it suits the Repubs.

[Nigrum Cattus]

6. This can do more harm than all the tariffs

A.I. replaces people & "chooses" ways to do things.
All decisions are based upon efficiency, not teamwork
or stability. Next, will be an A.I. "war" between competing
systems and only humans will lose that battle !

[Karasu]

9. On what fucking grounds?! This is NUTS. What the fuck does this have to do with the budget?!