House Leaders Push to Codify National AI Framework

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is calling on Congress to enact legislation that codifies the Trump administration’s recently revealed National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The framework sets out several policies that the administration believes should be prioritized as legislators consider AI-related bills, including:

• Ensuring AI services and platforms protect children and allow parents to control their children’s digital environment.
• Protecting communities from the harmful impacts of AI development, such as increased electricity costs.
• Protecting American creators, publishers, and innovators from AI-generated outputs that infringe on intellectual property rights.
• Defending First Amendment protections while preventing AI systems from being used to censor political expression.
• Removing barriers to innovation to accelerate the deployment of AI applications across sectors.
• Ensuring American workers benefit from AI-driven growth through the creation of new jobs and expanded opportunities.

The framework also directs Congress to preempt state AI regulations to avoid a patchwork regulatory environment that hinders competitiveness and innovation. Business advocacy groups and trade associations, including FEDA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have supported the creation of a national AI framework because it would provide the clear and consistent policy businesses need to harness the full potential of AI. In response to those requests, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December 2025 that directed his administration to work with Congress to develop a policy framework that established a minimally burdensome national standard for regulating AI. The newly published framework is the result of that work.

“We applaud President Trump for providing a vision for a single national AI framework to prevent a 50-state patchwork and provide clarity to entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes after years of regulatory confusion at the state and local levels,” Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the administration and members on both sides of the aisle in Congress to ensure U.S. AI leadership and deployment.”

Several key legislators are pushing Congress to put the policies into law. On March 20, Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) were joined by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Brian Babin (R-TX) in releasing a statement supporting the framework. “AI has begun to demonstrate its potential to improve Americans’ lives,” they said. “To ensure we continue to harness its potential and beat China in the global AI race, Congress must take action. Today, the Trump administration took a critical step in releasing a framework that gives Congress a roadmap to pursue legislation that provides innovators with much-needed certainty, while protecting consumers and prioritizing kids’ online safety. House Republicans look forward to working across the aisle to enact a national framework that unleashes the full potential of AI, cements the U.S. as the global leader, and provides important protections for American families.”