After years of limited actions, dozens of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are now touting new proposals to regulate AI models.

Published on: Sep 11, 2026, 22:48:35 IST

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WASHINGTON—A groundswell of urgency over artificial intelligence is surging in Congress amid growing fears that the technology could destroy civilization.

After years of limited actions, dozens of lawmakers are now touting new proposals to regulate artificial-intelligence models that have stepped up their capabilities.

House Democrats are considering creating a select committee focused on AI should they take over the chamber after the midterm elections, according to people familiar with the matter. Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) on Wednesday called for a new federal regulatory agency similar to those for nuclear energy and airplanes, and backed so-called “kill switches” that could shut down AI systems when they behave dangerously.

The bipartisan concerns ratcheted up this week after a departing Anthropic researcher warned that the lab and its competitors are building systems they won’t be able to control in a dire missive that went viral.

“There is no question that Congress is far behind where we should be in addressing the impacts of this rapidly evolving and dangerous technology,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) wrote in a Wednesday invitation to lawmakers for a private briefing next week to discuss AI risks. Sanders and other progressive are pushing for a ban on so-called superintelligence that is smarter than the most intelligent humans.

There is little indication a gridlocked Congress will produce the first federal AI laws overseeing models. Past efforts to use working groups and new committees to streamline AI policymaking have failed to advance bills beyond basic proposals and road maps. Lawmakers face a heap of hurdles, from divergent views on the scope of what limits to apply to having little time in session ahead of midterm elections.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), head of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) in recent days have said they hope to gain traction on a proposed bipartisan bill Klobuchar is working on aimed at addressing catastrophic risks posed by nuclear or biological threats enabled by AI. “It’s clear we need to act now and not wait,” Klobuchar said. The bill would require developers to work with government experts to verify and test models to make sure AI is safe, she said. Added Cruz during an appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday: “This is scary stuff.”

President Trump, who has taken a light touch overseeing the sector, previously said he is in favor of kill switches and other steps to keep AI safe but has warned burdensome regulation could cost the U.S. in the tech race.

Wednesday saw a flurry of proposals on Capitol Hill aimed at getting on top of the AI threat. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R., Fla.) proposed a special session of Congress focused on AI, while Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) called for an urgent U.S. dialogue with China to set up AI safety guardrails and testing regimes ahead of talks between both nations later this month.

“This is the first time most politicians have actually heard from a researcher, and it was obviously a wake-up call,” said Sam Silverman, a policy and communications adviser who focuses on the intersection of tech and politics. “You can see in real time people thinking, ‘Wait, the best-case scenario is the largest economic and social disruption of our lifetimes and the worst-case scenario is an existential risk to humanity.’”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) wrote OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman a letter notifying him that a Senate subcommittee he oversees focused on disaster management is investigating the company’s hack of AI firm Hugging Face, which involved hundreds of AI agents coordinating and using the internet to infiltrate the company’s systems. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) also wrote a letter Wednesday to Altman seeking information about the hacking incident.

Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Bill Foster of Illinois met with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) last week to discuss the possibility of establishing a new Select Committee on AI should Democrats take over the House after the midterms, people familiar with the matter said. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.) is proposing a similar effort in the Senate.

Some industry executives are bracing for a wave of oversight letters and hearings if Democrats take back control of Congress.

Cruz and White House AI adviser David Sacks have shared posts on social media questioning whether the Anthropic researcher who quit, Jacob Coxon, was coordinating with nonprofits that donate to liberal causes and warn about AI destroying civilization. The groups have some ties to Anthropic personnel. Some industry allies have suggested that this week’s warnings are a campaign to build momentum for Democrats to propose strong regulations.

“The calls to transfer regulation and liability to the governments of the world aren’t about safety. It’s naked political activism,” said Taylor Budowich, president of Innovation Council Action, an advocacy group supporting Trump’s AI agenda. He previously advised Trump.

Coxon said his decision to leave the company was his own. Anthropic has previously said that its policy and safety efforts are genuine and that AI risks are real.

Many in the industry have opposed so-called doomers, while flooding Washington with millions of dollars of their own spending on lobbyists, advertisements and events to help shape potential regulations. OpenAI and other companies have publicly said that they welcome oversight and sensible rules, but at times have privately warned against steps they view as overly burdensome.

“The AI policy window is open, for now. We intend to use it,” Chris Lehane, chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, said in a Wednesday blog post reiterating that the company wants to work with Congress.

Even when companies say they welcome oversight, they often disagree about what form it should take. Anthropic, known for proposing more aggressive regulations, often splits with the rest of the industry. Google and Meta Platforms also have sway over lawmakers and are building massive data centers across the country. Industry political groups are spending tens of millions of dollars in the elections but have generally favored one-sided races and sometimes canceled each other out.

Write to Amrith Ramkumar at amrith.ramkumar@wsj.com and Yoko Kubota at yoko.kubota@wsj.com

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