Latest news with #andDeployment
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Bessent asks lawmakers to megabill's 'revenge tax,' citing progress in global talks
The Senate parliamentarian is asking the Senate Commerce Committee to rework its 10-year moratorium on enforcing state artificial intelligence laws, according to ranking member Maria Cantwell. The parliamentarian had asked Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to rewrite the language in the GOP megabill to make clear it wouldn't impact $42 billion in broadband funding, Cantwell (D-Wash.) told POLITICO. 'That's what was a last night request from the parliamentarian,' Cantwell said. 'Yeah, that's what's going on.' Cruz's communications director Macarena Martinez said in a statement to POLITICO Thursday, 'Out of respect, we are not going to comment on private consultations with the Parliamentarian,' and added, 'The Democrats would be wise not to use this process to wishcast in public.' What's the problem? At issue is the scope of funding that will be conditioned on states complying with a 10-year pause on enforcing their AI laws. Cruz has said enforcing the moratorium would be required for states to tap into a new $500 million fund for building out AI infrastructure. The parliamentarian approved that language, a narrowed version of an earlier proposal to tie the moratorium to the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Democrats have argued that the latest moratorium would still affect all $42 billion. Talking points circulated by Cruz on Wednesday saying his bill 'forbids states collecting new BEAD money from strangling AI deployment with EU-style regulation' only added to the confusion, suggesting the provision could apply to the entire broadband program. Cruz's office told POLITICO Wednesday that the Congressional Budget Office 'has confirmed this applies only to the unobligated $500M.' The Senate parliamentarian is under fire after striking major pieces of Medicaid policy from being included in the megabill on Thursday. Majority Leader John Thune has said the GOP would not seek to override decisions from the Senate's rules referee. Republican doubts: The AI moratorium has divided Republicans. A group of GOP senators, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri and others, sent a letter to Thune on Wednesday urging the removal of the moratorium language, according to a person familiar with the matter. 'States should not be punished for trying to protect their citizens from the harms of AI,' Blackburn said in a post on X on Thursday. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said he is concerned about the scope of the provision and needs to 'get clarity' on if it would apply to the whole BEAD program. 'There's some communication challenge here about whether we're talking about a $500 million pot, or whether we're talking about the entire $40 billion — and the difference is significant. It matters,' Cramer told POLITICO. 'If I can't get assurances that it's not just the smaller pot, it'd be hard for me to get to yes.' The Article 3 Project, a prominent conservative advocacy group, said it would 'fully support these bold and fearless Republican Senators and their effort to protect America's children, creators, and foundational property rights.' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary in the first Trump administration, came out against the moratorium language in The Washington Post on Thursday. She warned it would lead to 'unintended consequences and threatens to undo all the great work states have done to protect our citizens from the misuse of artificial intelligence.' Tech support: The tech industry has lent broad support to the moratorium. The National Venture Capital Association praised it in a letter to Thune on Thursday. 'The current fragmented AI regulatory environment in the United States creates unnecessary challenges for startups, stifles innovation, and threatens our dominance in the industry,' wrote Bobby Franklin, the organization's president. Other major tech groups, including the Business Software Alliance, the Consumer Technology Association and NetChoice, have also strongly supported the language.
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
SALT members head to Treasury after rejecting SALT deal
The Senate parliamentarian is asking the Senate Commerce Committee to rework its 10-year moratorium on enforcing state artificial intelligence laws, according to ranking member Maria Cantwell. The parliamentarian had asked Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to rewrite the language in the GOP megabill to make clear it wouldn't impact $42 billion in broadband funding, Cantwell (D-Wash.) told POLITICO. 'That's what was a last night request from the parliamentarian,' Cantwell said. 'Yeah, that's what's going on.' Cruz's communications director Macarena Martinez said in a statement to POLITICO Thursday, 'Out of respect, we are not going to comment on private consultations with the Parliamentarian,' and added, 'The Democrats would be wise not to use this process to wishcast in public.' What's the problem? At issue is the scope of funding that will be conditioned on states complying with a 10-year pause on enforcing their AI laws. Cruz has said enforcing the moratorium would be required for states to tap into a new $500 million fund for building out AI infrastructure. The parliamentarian approved that language, a narrowed version of an earlier proposal to tie the moratorium to the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Democrats have argued that the latest moratorium would still affect all $42 billion. Talking points circulated by Cruz on Wednesday saying his bill 'forbids states collecting new BEAD money from strangling AI deployment with EU-style regulation' only added to the confusion, suggesting the provision could apply to the entire broadband program. Cruz's office told POLITICO Wednesday that the Congressional Budget Office 'has confirmed this applies only to the unobligated $500M.' The Senate parliamentarian is under fire after striking major pieces of Medicaid policy from being included in the megabill on Thursday. Majority Leader John Thune has said the GOP would not seek to override decisions from the Senate's rules referee. Republican doubts: The AI moratorium has divided Republicans. A group of GOP senators, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri and others, sent a letter to Thune on Wednesday urging the removal of the moratorium language, according to a person familiar with the matter. 'States should not be punished for trying to protect their citizens from the harms of AI,' Blackburn said in a post on X on Thursday. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said he is concerned about the scope of the provision and needs to 'get clarity' on if it would apply to the whole BEAD program. 'There's some communication challenge here about whether we're talking about a $500 million pot, or whether we're talking about the entire $40 billion — and the difference is significant. It matters,' Cramer told POLITICO. 'If I can't get assurances that it's not just the smaller pot, it'd be hard for me to get to yes.' The Article 3 Project, a prominent conservative advocacy group, said it would 'fully support these bold and fearless Republican Senators and their effort to protect America's children, creators, and foundational property rights.' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary in the first Trump administration, came out against the moratorium language in The Washington Post on Thursday. She warned it would lead to 'unintended consequences and threatens to undo all the great work states have done to protect our citizens from the misuse of artificial intelligence.' Tech support: The tech industry has lent broad support to the moratorium. The National Venture Capital Association praised it in a letter to Thune on Thursday. 'The current fragmented AI regulatory environment in the United States creates unnecessary challenges for startups, stifles innovation, and threatens our dominance in the industry,' wrote Bobby Franklin, the organization's president. Other major tech groups, including the Business Software Alliance, the Consumer Technology Association and NetChoice, have also strongly supported the language.
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Parliamentarian requests AI moratorium rewrite
The Senate parliamentarian is asking the Senate Commerce Committee to rework its 10-year moratorium on enforcing state artificial intelligence laws, according to ranking member Maria Cantwell. The parliamentarian had asked Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to rewrite the language in the GOP megabill to make clear it wouldn't impact $42 billion in broadband funding, Cantwell (D-Wash.) told POLITICO. 'That's what was a last night request from the parliamentarian,' Cantwell said. 'Yeah, that's what's going on.' Cruz's communications director Macarena Martinez said in a statement to POLITICO Thursday, 'Out of respect, we are not going to comment on private consultations with the Parliamentarian,' and added, 'The Democrats would be wise not to use this process to wishcast in public.' What's the problem? At issue is the scope of funding that will be conditioned on states complying with a 10-year pause on enforcing their AI laws. Cruz has said enforcing the moratorium would be required for states to tap into a new $500 million fund for building out AI infrastructure. The parliamentarian approved that language, a narrowed version of an earlier proposal to tie the moratorium to the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Democrats have argued that the latest moratorium would still affect all $42 billion. Talking points circulated by Cruz on Wednesday saying his bill 'forbids states collecting new BEAD money from strangling AI deployment with EU-style regulation' only added to the confusion, suggesting the provision could apply to the entire broadband program. Cruz's office told POLITICO Wednesday that the Congressional Budget Office 'has confirmed this applies only to the unobligated $500M.' The Senate parliamentarian is under fire after striking major pieces of Medicaid policy from being included in the megabill on Thursday. Majority Leader John Thune has said the GOP would not seek to override decisions from the Senate's rules referee. Republican doubts: The AI moratorium has divided Republicans. A group of GOP senators, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri and others, sent a letter to Thune on Wednesday urging the removal of the moratorium language, according to a person familiar with the matter. 'States should not be punished for trying to protect their citizens from the harms of AI,' Blackburn said in a post on X on Thursday. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said he is concerned about the scope of the provision and needs to 'get clarity' on if it would apply to the whole BEAD program. 'There's some communication challenge here about whether we're talking about a $500 million pot, or whether we're talking about the entire $40 billion — and the difference is significant. It matters,' Cramer told POLITICO. 'If I can't get assurances that it's not just the smaller pot, it'd be hard for me to get to yes.' The Article 3 Project, a prominent conservative advocacy group, said it would 'fully support these bold and fearless Republican Senators and their effort to protect America's children, creators, and foundational property rights.' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary in the first Trump administration, came out against the moratorium language in The Washington Post on Thursday. She warned it would lead to 'unintended consequences and threatens to undo all the great work states have done to protect our citizens from the misuse of artificial intelligence.' Tech support: The tech industry has lent broad support to the moratorium. The National Venture Capital Association praised it in a letter to Thune on Thursday. 'The current fragmented AI regulatory environment in the United States creates unnecessary challenges for startups, stifles innovation, and threatens our dominance in the industry,' wrote Bobby Franklin, the organization's president. Other major tech groups, including the Business Software Alliance, the Consumer Technology Association and NetChoice, have also strongly supported the language.
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Dozen-plus Senate Dems place holds on Commerce nominees
Fifteen Senate Democrats are placing holds on President Trump's nominees for Commerce Department posts in protest of new restrictions on a $40 billion high-speed internet access program. Why it matters: Senate Democrats across an array of committees have embraced holds on Trump nominees as a way to push back against administration policies they oppose. The Democrats, led by Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), informed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of the holds on Wednesday, according to a letter obtained by Axios. They're objecting to the administration's imposition of new rules on a federal program aimed at closing the digital divide — which yanked approval from both Nevada and Delaware to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. The expedited consideration of Commerce Department nominees overseeing broadband policy and "related nominees" will be blocked, the Democratic lawmakers wrote. The big picture: Senate Democrats, rendered largely powerless against Trump's decisions to restrict funding from federal programs, have zeroed in on holds as one of the only tactics available to them. Just one senator on a committee can object to the expedited consideration of department and agency nominees. Committees regularly report nominees out in bunches to prevent a backlog of pending appointments. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) last month placed holds on all political nominees at the Justice Department. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has placed holds on all State Department nominees, along with additional nominees for over a dozen different departments. Zoom in: The new rules for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program have sent states that want funding back, essentially, to square one of the process. They also ditch a preference for fiber, instead adopting a "technology-neutral" approach, aimed at cheaper alternatives. But fiber internet is generally considered the fastest internet option. "Congress did not intend for this program to sell rural Americans short and provide them with unreliable, intermittent service at speeds they may already have access to today," the lawmakers said in the letter to Lutnick.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Debate over future of US AI regulation hinges on broadband funding
By Jody Godoy and David Shepardson WASHINGTON: The fight over a proposed 10-year federal moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence heated up on Wednesday, with Republican and Democratic Senate leaders differing on whether such a measure would be tied to billions of dollars in funding to help states improve broadband infrastructure. Major AI companies including Alphabet 's Google and OpenAI have expressed support for Congress taking AI regulation out of the hands of states, to free innovation from a panoply of differing requirements. But opponents of the measure, including the Teamsters union -- which raised concerns on Wednesday about worker surveillance and self-driving vehicles -- say states should be able to protect their residents. The proposed moratorium, part of President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, faces mounting pressure from critics ahead of crucial votes by the U.S. Senate expected this week. A previous version of the measure would have secured compliance by blocking states that regulate AI from the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, known as BEAD. Unions, state lawmakers and attorneys general, faith leaders and the conservative Heritage Foundation have all opposed the measure, as have at least three Senate Republicans concerned that it would erode states' rights and erase state protections for creative workers and children online. Amid that criticism, Republican Senator Ted Cruz , who leads the commerce committee, released an updated version on Wednesday, which he said would only restrict states that tap a new $500 million fund to support AI infrastructure. "This pause in AI regulation is voluntary and not a federal mandate on states," Cruz's office said in a fact sheet. Senator Maria Cantwell, senior Democrat on the commerce committee, disputed that interpretation, saying the measure continues to hold the BEAD funding hostage, "forcing states to choose between protecting consumers and expanding critical broadband infrastructure to rural communities." U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick voiced his support for the measure in a post on social media site X, saying it would end "the chaos of 50 different state laws and makes sure American companies can develop cutting-edge tech for our military, infrastructure, and critical industries--without interference from anti-innovation politicians." A Commerce Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Reuters whether compliance with the moratorium would be voluntary as Cruz's office stated. Earlier on Wednesday, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters -- a union representing more than 1.3 million workers, many of them in blue-collar jobs such as trucking -- had called the measure "a disaster for communities and working people." Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, who spoke at the Republican National Convention last year, said in a letter posted on social media site X that the measure "denies citizens the ability to make choices at the local or state level." "Pure and simple, it is a giveaway to Big Tech companies who reap economic value by continuing to operate in an unregulated void where their decisions and behavior are accountable to no one," he said.
