THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • Reuters reports that Democrats, who take control of Congress in January, plan a series of AI bills; Chuck Schumer said protecting consumers from data-center energy costs will be a priority.
  • Rep. Lori Trahan intends to push independent safety testing of leading AI models and a bill clarifying when companies are liable for harm caused by AI, her office told Reuters.
  • President Trump opposes mandatory AI rules, and overriding a veto requires two-thirds of both chambers; analysts suggest attaching AI provisions to must-pass bills.

Democrats who won control of Congress in the November 3 midterms are preparing a wave of artificial intelligence legislation for when the new session opens in January, Reuters reported on November 6. The plans are still described in general terms: no bill numbers or texts have been published, and the proposals face a president who has repeatedly rejected binding AI rules.

What lawmakers say they will pursue

Chuck Schumer, expected to become Senate majority leader, said on November 5 that shielding consumers from rising electricity costs linked to data centers will be a priority next year, according to Reuters.

On safety, Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts plans to push legislation under which outside experts would assess leading AI models against safety standards, her deputy chief of staff Francis Grubar told Reuters. She also intends to pursue a bill clarifying when companies can be held responsible for harm caused by their AI systems. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, who is seeking to chair the House Science Committee, said Democrats would aim for responsible regulation while still fostering innovation. In the Senate, Michigan's newly elected Abdul El-Sayed campaigned on creating an independent agency to oversee AI.

More oversight of AI companies

Rep. Greg Casar, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said AI executives should testify under oath. Sen. Ed Markey warned technology companies to expect many more congressional subpoenas, The National Desk reported. In October, House Democratic committee leaders had already questioned OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google and SpaceX about their security practices and about AI tools acting in unintended ways.

The National Desk also notes that bills proposing a "kill switch" for models that escape human control, guidelines to slow development and a ban on superintelligence have been introduced, without naming their sponsors, and that Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling for a national moratorium on new data centers.

Steep odds

Any AI bill would still need President Donald Trump's signature or a two-thirds vote in both chambers to override a veto. Trump favours voluntary safeguards and frames AI policy around competition with China. Ed Mills of Raymond James told Reuters that the chances of legislation are nonetheless higher than many expect, since Democrats could attach AI provisions to bills Congress must pass every year.