WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement on the AI Executive Order signed yesterday by President Trump:

“This executive order’s overly broad preemption threatens states with lawsuits and funding cuts for protecting their residents from AI-powered frauds, scams, and deepfakes—leaving American consumers without any protection. Let’s get it right and pass a bipartisan national AI framework that both leads on innovation and protects consumers.”

In July, Sen. Cantwell led the fight to strip a ten-year moratorium on state AI laws and regulations from the Republican budget reconciliation bill, and on July 1 the provision was removed by a vote of 99-1. On June 6, after Commerce Secretary Lutnick released “new guidance” on the BEAD program delaying state broadband deployment, Cantwell called the move a “one-two punch” when combined with the AI moratorium. On June 11, Sen. Cantwell led a letter with Democratic members of the Committee calling for the Commerce Committee to markup the budget reconciliation Commerce title, to address numerous issues including the AI Moratorium. On June 18, the Senator held a virtual roundtable with Sen. Blackburn and the Attorneys General of Washington and Tennessee to discuss how the 10-year AI moratorium would leave consumers vulnerable to AI-powered harms.

On June 25, Sen. Cantwell criticized new reconciliation bill language released that continued to hold $42 billion in BEAD funding hostage unless states agreed to forgo enactment and enforcement of state AI laws. On June 27 and June 28, Sen. Cantwell’s office released statements and letters signed by hundreds of organizations and elected officials expressing their opposition to the AI moratorium. On June 29, Sen. Cantwell took to the Senate Floor to underscore the dangers of the Republican budget reconciliation, including the moratorium. On June 30, she introduced an amendment with Sen. Edward Markey to strip the entire provision prior to introducing the same amendment with Sen. Blackburn.

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