Trump Calls for Single Federal AI Standard to Prevent State Overreach

President Donald Trump has called on US Congress to pass a single federal standard for artificial intelligence regulation, according to Bloomberg. He warned that allowing individual states to set their own rules could hinder technological progress and weaken the nation’s position in the global AI race.

In a post on his social media platform, Trump urged lawmakers to include the measure in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act or to adopt it as separate legislation. He wrote that “overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Growth Engine,” and emphasized the need for “one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes.”

Trump said that without unified federal oversight, the Chinese Government could “easily catch us in the AI race.” Members of his administration have reportedly been discussing federal preemption with lawmakers in recent weeks. Some leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have previously supported the idea of a nationwide framework.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Republican leaders are considering adding the proposal to the defense policy bill. Earlier attempts to include similar provisions in budget legislation were blocked in the Senate, with critics arguing that they could prevent states from enforcing child safety and copyright protections related to AI.