Latest news with #HouseEnergyAndCommerce
Malay Mail
17-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
40 US states push back against AI moratorium in Trump's sweeping tax bill
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17 — A mix of Democratic and Republican state attorneys yesterday called on Congress to reject a moratorium on regulating artificial intelligence included in US President Donald Trump's tax bill. Top attorneys representing 40 states signed a letter urging leaders in Congress to reject the AI regulation moratorium language added to the budget reconciliation bill. 'The impact of such a broad moratorium would be sweeping and wholly destructive of reasonable state efforts to prevent known harms associated with AI,' the letter states. 'This bill will affect hundreds of existing and pending state laws passed and considered by both Republican and Democratic state legislatures.' The amendment added by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to the budget reconciliation bill imposes a 10-year prohibition on states from enforcing any state regulation addressing AI or 'automated decision-making systems,' according to the state attorneys. 'The amendment added to the reconciliation bill abdicates federal leadership and mandates that all states abandon their leadership in this area as well,' the state attorneys general wrote. 'This bill does not propose any regulatory scheme to replace or supplement the laws enacted or currently under consideration by the states, leaving Americans entirely unprotected from the potential harms of AI.' The letter notes that states have put in place laws designed to protect against AI-generated porn, deepfakes intended to mislead voters, and spam calls or text messages. Some state laws have also been crafted to prevent biases in AI models. 'These laws and their regulations have been developed over years through careful consideration and extensive stakeholder input from consumers, industry, and advocates,' the letter read. Republican fiscal hawks on Friday sunk a key vote on advancing the mega-bill that is the centerpiece of Trump's domestic agenda, in a significant setback for the US president's tax and spending policies. Trump is pushing to usher into law his so-called 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' pairing an extension of his first-term tax cuts with savings that will see millions of the poorest Americans lose their health care coverage. But a congressional Republican Party rife with divisions and competition within its rank-and-file has complicated the process, raising serious doubts that the sprawling package can pass a vote of the full House of Representatives next week. The budget committee's no vote is not the final word on the package, which will be reworked and sent back to the panel for more debate starting 10:00 pm on Sunday (0200 GMT Monday) and a fresh vote. — AFP
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans seek to boost AI while tightening grip on social media and online speech
Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation over the last week that could give the federal government a tighter grasp on some tech platforms, while easing up government scrutiny on artificial intelligence. The Republican-led House Energy and Commerce Committee's budget reconciliation bill was introduced Tuesday and would give the federal government the ability to update IT systems as well as use AI systems at the Commerce Department. The bill would also put a pause on states' ability to enforce AI regulations for the next decade to allow the American AI market to grow and be studied. While some politicians have been skeptical and critical of AI, the Trump administration has been vocal about seeking to encourage the growth of the AI industry in the U.S. with few guardrails. On Friday, to cap off President Donald Trump's Middle East trip, the administration announced a deal with the United Arab Emirates to build a massive data center in the country that will serve American tech companies. While Republicans have worked to protect AI, lawmakers have also introduced bills that would tighten regulations on some tech companies. Two of the bills could make rules for tech platforms and their users more restrictive with the intent of making children safer online. On May 8, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), which would update 'the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age,' Lee said in a statement. IODA was first introduced in 2022, and again in 2024, but failed to become law. IODA would change the definition of obscenity, which applies a three-pronged test to content, to anything that 'appeals to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion,' and 'depicts, describes or represents actual or simulated sexual acts with the objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person.' It's currently illegal to transmit obscene content via telecommunications if it's intended as harassment or abuse. The bill would remove the requirement for that 'intent,' meaning it could criminalize any content deemed obscene that is transmitted via telecommunications systems. Despite the bill lacking bipartisan support or additional recorded co-sponsors, it has gained attention online and in the media for language that could make pornography something that can be prosecuted under laws pertaining to obscenity. However, proponents of the law hope it will prevent children from viewing lewd and obscene content. Currently, social media platforms are granted a 'good faith' immunity under Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which means they can't be held legally liable for most content posted on their sites, aside from a few exceptions. Although a news release from Lee about IODA didn't specify who would be held legally responsible for newly obscene content, it said the bill is meant to create a uniform definition of obscenity, so it would be easier to identify and prosecute obscene content. 'Obscenity isn't protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,' Lee said in the statement. 'Our bill updates the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age so this content can be taken down and its peddlers prosecuted.' On Wednesday, the bi-partisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would hold websites accountable if they host content that is harmful to children, was reintroduced in the Senate. KOSA was first introduced in 2022 by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., but failed to make it out of the chamber. During the 2023-2024 congressional term, KOSA was introduced again with amendments to address concerns over the vague wording in the bill. In July, KOSA passed in the Senate, but by the end of 2024, it had failed to advance in the House. The latest version of KOSA states that the bill would require social media platforms to 'remove addictive product features,' give parents more control and oversight of their kids' social media, create a duty for platforms to mitigate content focused on topics like suicide and disordered eating, and require transparency from social media platforms to share the steps they're taking to protect children. Those who are in favor of the bill say it would hold platforms legally accountable if they host harmful content that minors should not view. Opponents said it could inadvertently affect sites that host LGBTQ content. They're also concerned it could lead to more censorship online. 'Sponsors are claiming—again—that the latest version won't censor online content. It isn't true. This bill still sets up a censorship regime disguised as a 'duty of care,' and it will do what previous versions threatened: suppress lawful, important speech online, especially for young people,' Joe Mullin, senior policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in a statement. However, updates made to the bill help to make its reach less broad and remove attorneys' general ability to prosecute platforms. It also makes more precise the harm it expects social media and other websites to protect against. This has led to some opponents of the bill changing their stance. The bill was reintroduced with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signing on. Last year, the bill passed in the Senate, 91-3, but died in the House. The current bill has been backed by Apple and Republican figures including Trump and Elon Musk. In a statement, Apple's senior director of government affairs for the Americas, Timothy Powderly, said the company was happy to offer its support for the bill, adding that everyone has a role to play in keeping children safe online. He also acknowledged the concerns around KOSA and praised the senators for working to improve the bill. 'As longtime advocates of privacy as a fundamental right, we believe these improvements are important, and hopefully the first steps towards comprehensive privacy legislation that ensures everyone's right to privacy online,' Powderly said. Critics have pushed back on both bills as some say they could result in overly policed speech online. Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and analyst who has worked with companies like Google and the U.S. and U.K. governments, said the bills — particularly KOSA — could have significant ramifications for social media platforms and the way people use them. Navarra said KOSA would force platforms to 'rethink recommendation engines, notifications, data tracking works for minors.' 'For engagement-driven platforms like TikTok or Instagram, that's a radical shift — it's not just about what's allowed, it's about how addictive and immersive experiences get redesigned or dismantled,' he said. 'So KOSA is less about content policing and more about an algorithmic detox especially for teens.' Adults would likely also see a major change in what is accessible online if IODA becomes law. 'In terms of the things that people are concerned about with the bill, particularly around censorship, KOSA does sort of introduce a duty of care that sounds good in theory but in practice could push platforms into over-moderating or flat-out removing content just to avoid the risk,' Navarra said. 'And the obscenity bill wraps this up even more.' This article was originally published on
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
AOC slams ‘disrespectful' Republicans in clash over Medicaid funding for women who miscarried
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed 'disrespectful' comments and attempts to cut her off from asking questions while the congresswoman pressed House Republicans over whether proposed cuts to Medicaid could impact pregnant women and women who miscarried. A heated exchange at nearly 3 a.m. inside the House Energy and Commerce committee followed the New York congresswoman's attempts to get GOP lawmakers to answer whether proposed restrictions for the federal health program serving low-income Americans and families could leave people who experienced miscarriages behind. 'Pregnancy is covered, correct? As an exemption?' asked Ocasio-Cortez, noting the Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning Roe v Wade has severely limited reproductive healthcare access across the country. 'What about miscarriage?' she asked. Republican Rep. Randy Weber of Texas repeatedly interrupted and accused the congresswoman of directing her remarks to cameras, not to GOP lawmakers in the room. 'I'm gonna have to stop. I'm reclaiming my time,' he said. 'I just want to make the point that we'd like for you to address the Republicans and let's have a dialogue this way and not through a camera.' 'But I'm asking a question — what about miscarriages?' she said. 'I'm trying to engage in a way that the gentleman requested.' GOP Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia jumped in, telling her she was 'out of order.' 'Oh, so we don't want to answer for women having miscarriages and bleeding out in parking lots. Got it,' she said. According to the GOP's counsel on the committee, people who experienced miscarriages would be exempt from proposed work requirements for Medicaid coverage if their condition was considered part of postpartum coverage in their state. Democratic lawmakers and advocates fear strict work requirements for Medicaid coverage could threaten coverage for pregnant Americans and people with disabilities, which Republicans dispute. Police dragged out disability rights protesters in wheelchairs who demonstrated inside Tuesday's hearing, calling out 'you will kill me' and 'liar.' The middle-of-the-night exchange came in the middle of a lengthy debate about the future of the healthcare program as Republican lawmakers try to gut $880 billion in federal spending through 2034 to support Donald Trump's domestic agenda. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that Republicans cannot reach those goals without drastic cuts to Medicaid. Under the GOP proposal, 9.7 million to 14.4 million people would be at risk for losing Medicaid coverage in 2034 if they are unable to show they meet the work requirements, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Congressional Budget Office estimates proposed cuts and expiration of funding for federal health insurance programs could strip coverage for more than 13.7 million Americans. More than 70 million people currently get health coverage through the program. 'There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen there. Hello! Hello,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'I'm talking to you because I work for you. They deserve to see what is happening here because there are plenty of districts — including Republican ones — where 25 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid, 40 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid.' When Weber asked her to yield her time, she said: 'I will not yield because it was a terribly disrespectful comment, and I will not yield to disrespectful men.'
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: President to Attend Summit With Arab Leaders
As he called to order a marathon committee session to consider Medicaid cuts and other critical pieces of Republicans' sweeping domestic policy bill, Representative Brett Guthrie of Kentucky surveyed a packed hearing room on Tuesday afternoon and asked for a respectful debate. 'I know we have deep feelings on these issues, and we may not all agree on everything,' said Mr. Guthrie, a Republican who is in his first term as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It was not to be. Minutes later, a group of protesters in the back of the Capitol Hill hearing room began shouting at lawmakers to 'keep your greedy hands off our Medicaid.' They drowned out the chairman's calls for order, and Capitol Police officers ultimately removed five people — three in wheelchairs — as the dozens of lawmakers on the panel looked on. (The Capitol Police later said that officers had arrested 26 people for illegally protesting inside a congressional building.) The disruptions were a raucous kickoff to a meeting that went all evening and was expected to continue well into Wednesday — one committee member estimated it could take as long as 28 hours — as Republicans and Democrats sparred over the plan, a key part of major legislation to enact President Trump's domestic agenda. It unfolded as the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee met to consider a $2.5 trillion tax proposal that would extend Mr. Trump's 2017 tax cuts; temporarily fulfill his campaign pledges not to tax tips or overtime pay; roll back subsidies for clean energy; and create a new type of tax-advantaged investment account for children. Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee tried unsuccessfully to extend tax credits that have helped people buy insurance on the Obamacare marketplaces. The subsidies are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that more than four million people will lose coverage as a result. Representative Steven Horsford, Democrat of Nevada, proposed an amendment that would have made the extra funding permanent. He argued that, because Republicans were using an unconventional form of accounting in their effort to make other tax cuts permanent, they should use the same approach to keep insurance premiums affordable. 'You cannot in one breath say it's OK to provide tax cuts for billionaires and that can be free, and not provide tax relief for working families for health care, for God's sake,' he said. A third panel, the House Agriculture Committee, also met Tuesday night and began considering a piece of the bill that would slash nutrition assistance to help raise money for the plan. But the bulk of the drama on Tuesday was at the Energy and Commerce Committee. During the first hour alone, Republicans giving opening statements were interrupted repeatedly by protesters who accused them of taking health care away from vulnerable people. G.O.P. lawmakers, in turn, accused Democrats of misrepresenting the Medicaid cuts they are proposing to score political points. Image Protesters opposing budget cuts on health care attending a hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday. Credit... Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Mr. Guthrie labored to keep control over the proceedings, at one point presiding over a shouting match over whether members of his panel were allowed to use the word 'lying' in their remarks. (Republicans had been permitted to say that Democrats were lying about the scope of the Medicaid cuts, but Democrats were barred from saying that Mr. Trump was lying about his desire to protect the program. An informal agreement to simply avoid using the word 'lie' altogether for the remainder of the session fell apart a few hours later.) Even some Democratic senators came to take in the spectacle. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Tina Smith of Minnesota were on hand. That was all before lawmakers had debated a single provision of the measure. Eight hours into the hearing, the committee had yet to debate the Medicaid cuts, focusing instead on other changes in environmental and energy policy. The bill's proposed reductions in Medicaid coverage and its expansion under the Affordable Care Act have become a flashpoint for Democrats and an area of concern for vulnerable Republicans who are wary of the political consequences of supporting cuts to insurance programs that have become popular with Americans. Though House Republicans shied away from a huge structural overhaul of Medicaid, their proposal would reduce federal spending by an estimated $912 billion and cause 8.6 million people to become uninsured, according to a partial analysis from the Congressional Budget Office that was circulated by Democrats on the committee. Around $700 billion in cuts would come from changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Republicans argued that their proposed cuts would help control rising Medicaid costs by targeting 'waste, fraud and abuse' and ensuring the program's long-term health. 'Medicaid was created to protect health care for Americans who otherwise could not support themselves, but Democrats expanded the program far beyond this core mission,' Mr. Guthrie said. Their proposal calls for stricter paperwork requirements across the program, makes changes that affect federal funding to states and adds a work requirement to Medicaid that requires poor, childless adults to prove they are working 80 hours every month to stay enrolled. That provision, which targets an expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, would not kick in until January 2029, after the next presidential election. Image Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee held up matching posters with photographs of constituents they deemed the 'faces of Medicaid.' Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times During their opening remarks, Democrats on the committee held up matching posters with photographs of constituents they deemed the 'faces of Medicaid.' The lawmakers told their stories as a way of humanizing people who rely on the program. Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan directly addressed a family who had traveled to Washington in the hearing, who she said needed Medicaid to care for a child with Down syndrome. Representative Marc Veasey of Texas held his phone up to the microphone, inviting a constituent to speak about how Medicaid affected her. Mr. Guthrie ruled that out of order. Some of the people being highlighted were not at risk of losing coverage under the Republican proposal. And Democrats frequently claimed that the Republican plan would cause 13.7 million Americans to become uninsured, inflating the bill's effects on coverage by about five million people. Pointing to these discrepancies, Republican lawmakers accused Democrats of dishonest politicking. 'Not a single person on these posters is going to be affected,' Representative Kat Cammack of Florida said. 'It's unfortunate that people are so enraged by misinformation,' Representative Gary Palmer, Republican of Alabama, said, referring to a woman who was taken from the room by the police after she shouted that she was H.I.V. positive and that the Medicaid cuts 'will kill me.' As the hearing started, the hallway outside was packed with protesters, many of them wearing shirts or bearing signs that read 'Hands Off Medicaid.' Others wore shirts reading 'Fight for Planned Parenthood.' The organization is targeted by a provision in the bill that would block Medicaid from funding health providers that also offer abortion services. 'Hopefully, everyone understands that these demonstrations — people feel very strongly,' Representative Frank Pallone Jr., the top Democrat on the committee, said. 'Because they know they're losing their health care.' Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.
Fox News
12-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Senior House Republican eviscerates Dems for 'fear campaign' against Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
EXCLUSIVE: The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is accusing Democrats of lying about President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital on Monday he believed Democrats had been waging a "fear campaign to scare Americans" ever since Republicans began discussions about the budget reconciliation process. "Now, Democrats are pedaling incorrect reports that include policies that aren't even in the bill," Guthrie said. "This bill refocuses Medicaid on mothers, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly – not illegal immigrants and capable adults who choose not to work." The Kentucky Republican was specifically referring to his panel's portion of Trump's bill, the text of which was released late on Sunday night. The Energy and Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction, including over federal health programs, telecommunications and energy, was tasked with finding at least $880 billion in spending cuts to pay for other priorities in the bill. It's the largest share of any of the 11 committees involved in the reconciliation process – some of which have been given additional funding to enact Trump's priorities on tax cuts, defense, immigration and the border. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), however, said on Monday the legislation would likely achieve even more savings than its $880 billion benchmark. Guthrie himself told Republicans on a lawmaker-only call on Sunday night that the committee found "north of $900 billion" in savings, a source told Fox News Digital. Democrats immediately seized on the legislation as what they saw as a smoking gun of Republican plans to cut Medicaid. But the details released on Sunday night appear to show House GOP leaders veered away from the much more severe cuts to the low-income healthcare program that some conservative lawmakers were pushing. The legislation would put a new 80-hour-per-month work requirement on certain able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid, aged 19 through 64. It would also put guardrails on states spending funds on their expanded Medicaid populations. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed states to expand Medicaid coverage to adults who make up to 138% of the poverty level. More specifically, states that provide Medicaid coverage to illegal immigrants could see their federal Medicaid reimbursement dollars diminished, putting more of that cost on the state itself. The bill would also require states with expanded Medicaid populations to perform eligibility checks every six months to ensure the system is not being abused. State Medicaid plans would be affected by a moratorium on any new state provider taxes, while freezing current rates where they are. State provider taxes are state-imposed fees on healthcare providers that help those states get more federal funding for Medicaid. New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the committee, released a CBO projection requested by his own party that said at least 13.7 million people would lose health insurance based on a draft of Republicans' Medicaid proposals. "Let's be clear, Republican leadership released this bill under cover of night because they don't want people to know their true intentions," Pallone said. "This is not trimming fat from around the edges, it's cutting to the bone. The overwhelming majority of the savings in this bill will come from taking healthcare away from millions of Americans. Nowhere in the bill are they cutting 'waste, fraud, and abuse' – they're cutting people's healthcare and using that money to give tax breaks to billionaires." Guthrie dismissed the calculations in the Democrats' press release. "It is reckless that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle claimed an artificially high number in alleged coverage loss just so they can fearmonger and score political points," he told Fox News Digital. "This reconciliation is a win for Americans in every part of the country, and it's a shame Democrats are intentionally reflexively opposing commonsense policies to strengthen the program." Republicans are expected to advance the Energy and Commerce portion of the bill on Tuesday afternoon. If it passes through committee, it will be added to the final bill, which Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., hopes to pass the House by Memorial Day.
