Among many other terrible policies in Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” the House tried to sneak in a dangerous provision: a 10-year moratorium on states’ ability to regulate artificial intelligence.

That’s a decade in which states would have been banned from passing n'importe lequel laws limiting how AI could be used, no matter how harmful, invasive, or dangerous the technology became.

It was a blatant attempt to strip away state power, block progress, and let Big Tech run wild. But thanks to people speaking out across the country, we stopped it.

States Are Leading the Way, and the House Tried To Stop It

From protecting voters to keeping kids safe, states have been on the frontlines of AI regulation:

• Elections: Half of U.S. states have passed laws banning deceptive AI-generated content being used in our elections.
• Exploitation: Two-thirds of states have outlawed AI-generated “deepfake” pornography.
• Civil rights: Some states have passed laws to protect people against algorithmic discrimination. Illinois, for example, has amended the Illinois Human Rights Act to prohibit employers from using AI in ways that result in discrimination, and in New York, New York City has implemented Local Law 144, which requires AI hiring tools to be audited annually for bias.
• Health insurance: Over a dozen states are considering limits on AI use by health insurers.
• Child safety: Parents and children’s advocates have sounded alarms about predatory AI chatbot services that target kids and teens, et California is currently advancing legislation that would regulate chatbots to protect kids.

Congress’s moratorium would have slammed the brakes on these efforts and blocked states from responding to new threats.

We Fought Back – And Won

Common Cause immediately mobilized, alongside countless other advocacy organizations and concerned citizens across the nation.

We launched a letter writing campaign so that our members could urge the Senate to strike the provision. 

Our members knew that we don’t have ten years to wait to regulate AI, that we can’t afford to roll back hard-won protections, and that we couldn’t sit by while Congress blatantly attacked states’ rights.

The Pressure Worked

The Senate voted 99-to-1 to strike the provision from the bill.

This victory means states can keep doing what Congress has neglected to do: protecting people from deepfakes, scammers, predatory chatbot services, digital discrimination, and corporate greed.

People Power Wins

This fight was about more than AI regulation. It was about reminding Congress who they work for. When enough of us raise our voices, even the most well-connected and powerful politicians can’t ignore us. 

That’s the principle behind our People’s Promise campaign. We’re here to hold Congress accountable, every single day, to the wants, hopes, and needs of the people – not the demands of special interests.

Join us at PeoplesPromise.us