Senate Republicans propose alternative to scale back AI provision in Trump bill
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Hakeem Jeffries backs Elon Musk's call to 'kill' Trump's tax bill
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries backed Elon Musk's call to "kill the bill", saying Trump's tax plan will harm Americans.
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans modified language around a controversial artificial intelligence provision in President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and domestic policy bill after it prompted backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.
AI has long been a subject of controversy due to national security and child safety risks posed by the technology, including the rise of deepfakes, misinformation and scams. The Trump administration's stance on AI has largely aligned with that of companies, arguing that regulation would stymie innovation. But the provision in the bill has been a point of contention among lawmakers as many contend that AI technology is still new and needs to be under state regulation.
The provision in the House bill passed by the lower chamber on May 22 would have prohibited states from enforcing any law or regulation 'limiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating" AI models, AI systems or automated decision systems affecting trade, transportation or traffic for a ten year period.
Republicans on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, however, released their draft text of Trump's bill on June 5 proposing to tie the ban to federal funding. States who comply with the decade-long AI regulation freeze can receive grant money from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.
The program is a $42.45 million initiative to expand high-speed Internet access nationwide, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The Senate proposal says that grantees can use the funds to 'construct and deploy infrastructure' regarding AI systems.
The Senate proposal is a large step away from the original provision, which lawmakers across the aisle raised concerns about.
Conservative firebrand Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she wouldn't have voted for the House bill if she'd known about it. 'We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states hands is potentially dangerous,' she wrote in a tweet on June 3.
California Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said at a presser on June 4: 'I agree with Marjorie Taylor Greene once every hundred years. This is that time.'
Texas Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, argued that 'writing big tech companies a blank check to exploit AI however they want - that's contrary to what the vast majority of American people want.'
Though House Freedom Caucus member Texas Rep. Chip Roy voted in favor of the bill, he echoed similar sentiments, telling reporters that governors should be able to 'protect their own constituencies, particularly on a technology that is very new and fluid.'
It still remains to be seen whether the proposal will be included in the final version of the Senate bill before it is voted on by lawmakers. Trump and GOP leaders have set a self-imposed deadline of July 4 to try to get the tax bill through both chambers of Congress and to the president's desk for signature into law.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
a minute ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
20 states and DC sue DOJ to stop immigration requirements on victim funds
A coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, D.C., is asking a federal judge to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from withholding federal funds earmarked for crime victims if states don't cooperate with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts. The lawsuit filed Monday in Rhode Island federal court seeks to block the Justice Department from enforcing conditions that would cut funding to a state or subgrantee if it refuses to honor civil immigration enforcement requests, denies U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers access to facilities or fails to provide advance notice of release dates of individuals possibly wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of their immigration status. The lawsuit asks that the conditions be thrown out, arguing that the administration and the agency are overstepping their constitutional and administrative authority. The lawsuit also argues that the requirements are not permitted or outlined in the Victims of Crime Act, known as VOCA, and would interfere with policies created to ensure victims and witnesses report crimes without fear of deportation. 'These people did not ask for this status as a crime victim. They don't breakdown neatly across partisan lines, but they share one common trait, which is that they've suffered an unimaginable trauma,' New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said during a video news conference Monday, calling the administration's threat to withhold funds 'the most heinous act' he's seen in politics. The federal conditions were placed on VOCA funding, which provides more than a billion dollars annually to states for victims compensation programs and grants that fund victims assistance organizations. VOCA funding comes entirely from fines and penalties in federal court cases, not from tax dollars. Every state and territory has a victims compensation program that follows federal guidelines, but largely is set up under state law to provide financial help to crime victims, including medical expense reimbursement, paying for crime scene cleanup, counseling or helping with funeral costs for homicide victims. VOCA covers the cost of about 75% of state compensation program awards. Advocates and others argue that the system needs to protect victims regardless of their immigration status and ensure that reporting a crime does not lead to deportation threats. They also say that marginalized communities, such as newly arrived immigrants, are more likely to be crime targets. 'The federal government is attempting to use crime victim funds as a bargaining chip to force states into doing its bidding on immigration enforcement,' New York Attorney General Letitia James, who also joined the lawsuit, said in a statement Monday. 'These grants were created to help survivors heal and recover, and we will fight to ensure they continue to serve that purpose … We will not be bullied into abandoning any of our residents.' The Associated Press left a message seeking comment from a DOJ spokesperson Monday afternoon. President Donald Trump's administration has sought to withhold or pull back other federal funding or grant funding midstream, saying awardees and programs no longer agree with its priorities. In April, it canceled about $800 million in DOJ grants, some of which were awarded to victims service and survivor organizations. And in June, states filed a lawsuit over added requirements in Violence Against Women Act funding that mandated applicants agree not to promote 'gender ideology,' or run diversity, equity and inclusion programs or prioritize people in the country illegally. Several attorneys general said the VOCA conditions appear to be another way the administration is targeting so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, though there is no clear definition of what a sanctuary state or city is. The Trump administration earlier this month released an updated list of states, cities and counties it considers sanctuary jurisdictions. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the August announcement that the department would 'continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.' As of Monday afternoon attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin — all Democrats — had signed on to the lawsuit.
Business Wire
a minute ago
- Business Wire
Basic Capital Closes $25 Million Series A Funding Round Led by Forerunner and Lux Capital
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Basic Capital, a 401(k) platform that offers an innovative financing option to help workers achieve their retirement goals, announced the successful closing of its $25 million Series A funding round led by Forerunner and Lux Capital, with participation from existing investors SV Angel, Box Group and financial luminaries including Henry Kravis. New investors included HOF Capital and Inspired Capital. Basic Capital is the first and only 401(k) platform that allows participants to finance assets and offers access to alternative investments. This significant investment will accelerate the company's expansion efforts, allowing Basic Capital to modernize and enhance 401(k) offerings for employers and employees. "The engine of 401(k)s has not been significantly upgraded in 40 years,' said Abdul Al-Asaad, Founder and CEO of Basic Capital. 'This new investment into Basic Capital, alongside policy changes emerging from Washington, D.C., represents a huge win for American workers as retirement plans get brought into the 21st century.' Basic Capital plans to use the funding to accelerate the adoption of its 401(k) solution among employers and continue building out its team. The company partners with employers to offer its 401(k) platform and offers individual IRA plans, with the goal of scaling to serve significantly more retirement savers across both product lines. 'American innovation has generated extraordinary financial prosperity,' said Peter Hebert, Co-Founder & Partner, Lux Capital. 'But historically, federal regulation has prevented millions of American workers from accessing opportunities to build wealth. The Basic Capital team has developed a novel solution to help everyday Americans finance investment, rather than consumption.' About Basic Capital Basic Capital is a full-stack retirement platform that amplifies retirement investments by providing financing within IRAs and 401(k)s. The company offers $4 of financing for every $1 contributed, giving investors 5x the investing power in diversified portfolios designed for long-term growth About Forerunner Forerunner is a venture capital firm focused on the modern consumer. The firm invests at the intersection of shifting behavior and emerging technology, backing changemakers building category-defining companies across health and wellness, commerce, personal finance, career and learning, productivity and empowerment, social and entertainment, and resilience. Founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, Forerunner has raised nearly $3 billion in assets under management to date. About Lux Capital Lux Capital is a venture firm based in New York City and Silicon Valley with more than $5 billion under management. It invests in counter-conventional, seed, and early-stage science and technology ventures. For more information about Basic Capital, visit .
New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
Putin claims Ukraine should give up Donetsk because Russia will conquer region by October —despite a decade of failing to do so
Russian leader Vladimir Putin reportedly told President Trump his forces could conquer the long-sought-after Donetsk region by October if Ukraine didn't give up the land as part of a peace deal — but Kyiv and US observers point out that the Kremlin has failed to take it for more than a decade. While intelligence varies on Russia's advancements along the frontlines, one US assessment agrees that Putin could succeed in conquering the remaining 30% of Donetsk that he does not control by October, Axios reported. Experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank that has tracked the granular progress of the war since its start, however, point out that Russia has been unable to seize the region through three and a half years of bloody war — and 11 years of Kremlin-backed rebellion before that. 6 Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told President Trump at the Alaska summit last week that he will be able to capture Ukraine's Donetsk region by October. POOL/AFP via Getty Images And there's no reason Moscow will suddenly break through Ukraine's most heavily fortified frontline. 'Even if we're being generous to the Russians and say they can maintain their current advance, which we know they can't keep up and have been pushed back from… It would take about 475 days for Russia to take the entirety of Donetsk, that's December 2026,' George Barros, the head of the ISW's Russia team, told the Post. 'And I think that's putting it generously. To say Moscow can take it by October seems hyperbolic.' Ukrainian sources who also spoke with The Post were incredulous about the alleged intelligence assessment that Kyiv could lose Donetsk. 'Donetsk by October? They've been saying that since February of '22,' an American serving in the Ukrainian Armed Services said. 6 A Ukrainian soldier giving an order to a captured Russian troop in the Donetsk region on Aug. 17, 2025. Getty Images Speaking with Trump in Alaska on Friday, Putin demanded Donetsk be handed to him as a condition for ending his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, along with demanding the Luhansk, Crimea, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has scoffed at the proposal to give up land where his forces have fended off Russian soldiers who have outgunned and outnumbered the defenders. A source familiar with the talks described negotiations over the fate of Donetsk as 'the ball game.' 'Every issue is an ancillary issue, except Donetsk,' the source previously told The Post. 6 Ukrainians firing an anti-aircraft gun at Russian drones in the Donetsk region on Aug. 15, 2025. Getty Images Moscow has launched four notable campaigns over the last year to take the remainder of Donetsk, with each major operation failing and resulting in Russia's advancement of just over six miles, according to the ISW. The quagmire is emblematic in the Russian operation to take the town of Toretsk, which finally fell under Moscow's control on Aug. 1 after 14 months of fighting, with the Kremlin currently struggling to keep the 6.4 miles of land. 'Russia's big push is happening in the summer, which has always been the case, but come fall, with the muddy season, things are going to slow down again,' Barros noted. 'Russia won't be able to sustain this push.' 6 Putin demanded that Ukraine give up Donetsk as a condition for ending the invasion. Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP Moscow faced a similar struggle in taking the city of Avdiivka, with a US military veteran, known by the callsign 'Jackie,' noting that Ukraine's defenses continue to defy the odds. 'It took the Russians from 2017 to 2024 to take Avdiivka,' Jakie, a spokesman with the 3rd Assault Battalion said. 'I fought in the Battle of Bahkmut where I counted eight Russian shells fired for every one Ukrainian response. 'And that was during the lulls, during enemy pushes they were shooting 15-to-1 and it still took them 10 months,' he added. 6 A man carrying his belongings out of a building hit by a Russian strike in Bilozerske in Ukraine's Donetsk region on Aug. 12, 2025. Photo by GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images After claiming Avdiivka, Moscow set its sights on Pokrovsk, a logistical hub in eastern Ukraine that Russia claimed to be making advancements in last week along with Dobropillia. The city, however, continues to repel Russia's soldiers, with more than 400 Moscow troops killed after last week's push, according to Kyiv. Zelensky and his top commanders also noted that Kyiv still holds the strategic cities of Sloviansk and Kramators, which have served as a 'fortress belt' protecting Donbas, the land comprised of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. 6 A house destroyed by Russian shelling in Donetsk seen on Aug. 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko 'They remain Ukraine's main strongholds in Donbas, and the enemy does not have sufficient forces to storm them,' Kyiv said in a statement. 'Russia's capture of the entire Donetsk region — including the cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Dobropillia, and others — by October is impossible given the scale of losses and the inability of Russian forces to advance at the required pace,' the officials added. Kyiv claims that Russia is suffering 1,200 casualties per day, matching estimates from western officials and think tanks, with the US veteran Jackie saying that Ukrainian soldiers will continue to fight to the last man to keep the invaders out of Donbas. 'If you think Ukrainians are going to give up Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, I suggest asking a Texan if Davy Crockett should have given up the Alamo,' the American said. Despite the Trump administration's latest suggestion that Ukraine will have to concede land to end the war, Kyiv maintains that territory not currently occupied by Russian soldiers is off the table. 'It's not acceptable, but we don't want to be the person who said 'no,' because for us, it's important to go forward [with the US],' a Kyiv official exclusively told The Post. 'We definitely, honestly, believe that just Trump can end this war.'
