Research the most recent U.S.

The primary federal legislative action on AI since 2023 is the TAKE IT DOWN Act (S. 146, 119th Congress), signed into law on May 19, 2025.[1][2] It criminalizes the knowing publication of nonconsensual intimate visual depictions (including AI-generated “digital forgeries” or deepfakes) and mandates that covered online platforms establish a notice-and-removal process (enforceable by the FTC, with platforms given until May 2026 to implement). This targeted measure addresses a specific, high-visibility AI harm—nonconsensual intimate imagery—through criminal penalties (up to 2 years imprisonment, enhanced for minors) and platform obligations, rather than broad risk-based regulation of AI systems.[3][4]

• Earlier foundational statutes (e.g., National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020) predate 2023; no comprehensive federal AI regulatory framework was enacted in the 118th Congress (2023–2024), despite over 150 AI-related bills introduced.[5]
• A proposed 10-year moratorium on state and local AI regulations was included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (enacted July 4, 2025) but stripped by the Senate in a 99-1 vote amid bipartisan opposition over vagueness and potential litigation risks.[6][7]
• Broader efforts have emphasized targeted protections (e.g., deepfakes) alongside innovation-focused policies, with states filling gaps through dozens of enacted measures on issues like algorithmic accountability, deepfakes, and procurement.[8]

This narrow federal enactment signals Congress’s preference for addressing acute harms (especially those affecting minors and privacy) over comprehensive rules, creating a patchwork that motivates industry calls for uniformity while leaving most AI development and deployment under existing sector-specific laws and executive guidance.[9]

Bipartisan congressional task forces, GAO audits, and CRS analyses have shaped strategy discussions more than new statutes. The December 2024 Bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence report (273 pages, released Dec. 17, 2024) offers 89 recommendations emphasizing U.S. leadership in responsible innovation, flexible governance, reduced bureaucracy via AI, notifications of AI use in government functions, and sector-specific considerations (e.g., education, healthcare, IP).[10][11]

• The GAO’s July 29, 2025 report (GAO-25-107653) documents rapid growth in federal generative AI adoption: across 11 agencies, total AI use cases nearly doubled (571 in 2023 to 1,110 in 2024), while generative AI cases rose ninefold (32 to 282). It highlights benefits (productivity, citizen services) alongside challenges like bias, hallucinations, data security, resource constraints, and compliance with existing policies.[12][13]
• CRS’s June 4, 2025 report (“Regulating Artificial Intelligence: U.S. and International Approaches”) surveys current federal laws, governance efforts, and comparisons to international models.[14]
• Additional context appears in the April 2026 CRS report on Science and Technology Issues for the 119th Congress.[15]

These analyses provide evidence-based roadmaps rather than mandates, underscoring implementation gaps in federal AI use and the need for coordinated governance without stifling innovation—valuable for competitors or entrants seeking to align with emerging federal priorities like transparency and risk management.[11]

In the 119th Congress (2025–2026), numerous AI bills remain pending or advancing, with activity centered on uniformity, workforce impacts, research prizes, and preemption of conflicting state rules. Examples include the AI PLAN Act (H.R. 2152), ordered reported (amended) by the House on May 13, 2026, addressing economic/national security risks from AI in crime; and the American Artificial Intelligence Leadership and Uniformity Act (H.R. 5388), introduced September 2025, focused on federal leadership and consistency.[16][17]

• Brennan Center and other trackers note dozens of introductions in the 119th Congress building on 150+ from the prior session, covering labeling, accountability, workforce forecasting, and grand challenges.[5][18]
• Committee work (e.g., House Energy & Commerce, Senate Commerce) has advanced targeted measures while broader comprehensive bills face gridlock.
• State-level activity has accelerated dramatically (over 1,200 bills introduced in 2025 alone), pressuring federal preemption debates.[8]

Entrants or competitors should monitor these dockets closely, as passage of uniformity or liability frameworks could standardize compliance nationwide while targeted bills (e.g., on deepfakes or workforce disclosure) create immediate operational requirements.

Executive actions have filled legislative gaps and set the tone for federal strategy, with shifts between administrations highlighting policy volatility. Biden’s October 2023 EO 14110 (Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI) directed agency actions on safety testing, reporting, and risk management before its revocation in early 2025.[19] Trump’s January 23, 2025 EO 14179 (“Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence”) prioritized deregulation and innovation, followed by a July 2025 “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan” and a December 2025 action directing recommendations for a uniform federal framework that preempts conflicting state AI laws (with carve-outs for child safety, infrastructure, and procurement).[20][19]

This interplay shows Congress deferring to or reacting to executive strategy, with preemption efforts aiming to reduce fragmentation but sparking federal-state tensions—implications for any entity operating across jurisdictions.

Key legislative and policy milestones form a clear timeline of accelerating but fragmented activity:

• 2023: Over 150 AI bills introduced in 118th Congress (none enacted); Biden EO 14110 (Oct. 30).[5]
• Early 2024: House Bipartisan AI Task Force established (Feb.).[10]
• 2024: Surge in state AI bills (635 introduced, 99 enacted); Task Force report released (Dec. 17).[8]
• 2025: Trump EO 14179 (Jan.); TAKE IT DOWN Act passed Congress and signed (April–May 19); “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (July 4, moratorium removed); America’s AI Action Plan (July); GAO gen AI report (July 29); CRS regulating AI report (June 4); White House preemption framework action (Dec.).[6][20][12]
• 2026 (through mid-year): AI PLAN Act advances (May reported); continued state-federal tension; ongoing 119th Congress bill activity and reports (e.g., April CRS S&T issues).[16]

For those navigating or seeking to influence this space, the pattern favors targeted, bipartisan protections (e.g., deepfakes) and innovation support over sweeping regulation, with executive actions and task force recommendations serving as de facto strategy guides amid state-level experimentation and preemption debates. Track congress.gov, GAO/CRS releases, and administration actions for the latest developments, as the 119th Congress and post-2026 sessions will likely build on the 2025 foundation.

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Recent Findings Supplement (June 2026)

Recent U.S. Congressional AI policy activity (post-December 15, 2025) centers on White House-driven legislative recommendations for a national framework, targeted child-safety bills advancing in committee, a major bipartisan discussion draft for comprehensive federal rules with state preemption, and GAO reports highlighting implementation gaps in federal AI use. No comprehensive standalone federal AI law has been enacted in this period, though the FY2026 NDAA (signed December 2025) carried forward AI-related defense provisions on adoption, governance, and oversight.[1][2]

White House National Policy Framework and Supporting Executive Actions

The Trump administration released its National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence on March 20, 2026, providing Congress with explicit legislative recommendations across seven priorities: child protection, community safety, intellectual property, free speech/viewpoint diversity, innovation, workforce development, and federal preemption of conflicting state AI laws (with explicit exceptions for certain child safety rules, data center infrastructure, and state procurement/use).[3][4][5]

This built directly on the December 2025 executive order directing a uniform federal approach. A follow-on executive order on June 2, 2026, emphasized voluntary private-sector collaboration for AI innovation and security, including early government access to frontier models (up to 30 days pre-release) and benchmarking of advanced cyber capabilities.[6][7]

• Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released a discussion draft of the TRUMP AMERICA AI Act (March 2026) to codify these elements into statute, creating a single national rulebook with preemption provisions.[5][8]
• Counter-proposals emerged, including Democratic efforts to repeal preemption elements or pause data center expansion.[9]

Implications: Companies face a shifting compliance landscape favoring federal uniformity over state patchwork, but preemption scope remains contested and subject to negotiation; early engagement on draft text is critical before any markup.

GUARD Act: Bipartisan Progress on AI Chatbot Safety for Minors

The Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue (GUARD) Act (S. 3062), introduced in October 2025 by Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), advanced significantly when the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously reported it with amendments on April 30, 2026; it was placed on the Senate calendar on May 11, 2026.[10][11][12]

The bill requires AI chatbots to implement privacy-preserving age verification, mandates disclosures that systems are non-human/non-professional, bans AI companions simulating emotional relationships for minors, and imposes criminal penalties on providers that knowingly or recklessly allow chatbots to engage in sexually explicit conduct with minors or solicit self-harm/violence.[13][14]

Implications: This represents the most advanced targeted federal AI safety measure in the current Congress; AI developers offering consumer chatbots or companions must prepare for potential mandatory age-assurance and content safeguards, with 180-day implementation timelines typical in similar proposals.

Great American Artificial Intelligence Act of 2026 Discussion Draft

On June 4, 2026, Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Lori Trahan (D-MA) released a 269-page bipartisan discussion draft of the Great American Artificial Intelligence Act of 2026, explicitly soliciting feedback as “the start of a serious national conversation.”[15][16][7]

Key elements include a proposed three-year preemption of state or local laws/regulations on AI model development, alongside broader governance provisions on transparency, safety, national security, and workforce issues.[7]

Implications: This is the first major comprehensive federal AI framework proposal to advance in discussion-draft form; stakeholders (especially model developers and deployers) should review the full text and submit comments promptly, as preemption and sectoral governance details will likely evolve.

GAO Reports on Federal AI Governance and Implementation

Congressional watchdog reports in early-mid 2026 identified actionable gaps:

• March 26, 2026: Privacy risks in federal AI use require stronger OMB guidance and information-sharing.[17]
• April 13, 2026: Agencies should systematically collect and apply lessons learned from AI acquisitions to improve future procurements.[18]
• March 24, 2026: IRS faces skills gaps, inventory quality issues, and strategic management shortfalls in its AI efforts (eight recommendations).[19]
• May 4, 2026: Small Business Administration AI contracting and grants require better risk policies and reporting.[20]

Implications: Federal contractors and agencies using AI must strengthen documentation, risk management, and workforce planning; these reports often inform future oversight hearings and funding conditions.

Recent Congressional Hearings

• January 14, 2026: House Science, Space, and Technology Committee (Research & Technology Subcommittee) held “Advancing America’s AI Action Plan.”[21]
• March 3, 2026: Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness examined “Less Hype, More Help: AI That Improves Safety, Productivity, and Care.”[22]

These focused on practical deployment, innovation, and balanced regulation rather than new mandates.

Overall Timeline of Key Post-2025 Milestones (selected new developments):
- December 2025: FY2026 NDAA enacted with AI defense provisions.
- January–March 2026: Hearings and initial discussion drafts.
- March 20, 2026: White House National Policy Framework released.
- March 2026: Blackburn TRUMP AMERICA AI Act draft.
- April 30, 2026: GUARD Act advances in Senate Judiciary.
- June 2, 2026: New AI innovation/security executive order.
- June 4, 2026: Obernolte-Trahan Great American Artificial Intelligence Act discussion draft.

No major enacted laws beyond defense authorizations; activity emphasizes framework-building and targeted protections amid ongoing preemption debates. Monitor Senate floor action on GUARD and feedback on the June House draft for next steps.