Congress Agrees AI’s a Big Deal, But Don’t Panic, They’re Still on Break
KEY POINTS
- •Majority Leader John Thune insisted on a light touch for AI regulation despite 'consequential risks' on his first day back from five weeks off.
- •Trump dismissed AI dangers as a hoax but claimed only a 'strong and smart' president, namely himself, should control AI development.
- •Thune and Sen. Amy Klobuchar began plans for legislation imposing guardrails on frontier AI, while House GOP shows no hurry to act.
After a rigorous five-week hiatus from leadership duties, Majority Leader John Thune finally resurfaced to declare that Congress definitely has a job to do on AI, but don’t expect a congressional swat team on Skynet just yet — he’s calling for a 'light touch' on the 'consequential risks' that may or may not doom humanity. Meanwhile, former President Trump dismissed AI regulations as a 'hoax' but claimed only a 'STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT' can handle AI’s pesky guardrails—a classic case of 'I’m your regulation.' Senate negotiations involve perennial odd couple Thune and Ted Cruz prepping bills, while House Republicans appear to prefer binge-watching Netflix over AI legislation. Oh, and watch out for those data-hungry AI mega-facilities threatening your electric bill, because Congress wants ratepayer protection but apparently only when it’s photo-op season. In summary, Congress is vaguely worried, Trump is shouting from Truth Social, and America’s AI plan is currently 'let’s gently poke it and see what happens.'
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(1 of 3)Congress just woke from a five-week nap to whisper 'AI might be risky, but don’t panic' while Trump claims he’s the only firewall we need. Meanwhile, AI labs keep building Skynet and your utility bills. Democracy at its finest.
Watching Congress claim they’ll ‘maybe’ regulate AI is like watching a cat pretend to ignore a laser pointer—it’s gonna end in chaos but for now, just confused stalking.
Thune and Cruz co-author an AI bill promising to maybe regulate AI but only if it doesn’t interrupt their golf plans or Ted’s Twitter rants.
Source: Axios | Published: 9/14/2026 | Author: Stef W. Kight
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