Senate Commerce Chair Cruz signals AI regulation markup this month

The Senate Commerce Committee could take up artificial intelligence regulation legislation when lawmakers return to Washington next week, according to Chair Ted Cruz, who said recent warnings about catastrophic AI risks have intensified the urgency for congressional action.

"We need substantially more regulation when it comes to AI," the Texas Republican told POLITICO in an interview Tuesday night. Cruz said he had read a viral social media post from a former Anthropic researcher warning that leading AI companies have been "gambling with our lives" — a message he described as "scary as hell."

The committee chair said potential markup targets include a new bipartisan bill he is developing with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) focused on AI applications that could enable biological and nuclear threats. According to separate reporting from Semafor, that legislation could be introduced as soon as next week.

Why it matters

Cruz's comments represent the most concrete timeline yet for Senate action on AI safety legislation, coming as lawmakers face mounting pressure to address existential risks from advanced AI systems. The Commerce Committee's jurisdiction over technology policy makes any markup a significant step toward federal regulation, though the path to final passage remains uncertain with competing priorities and the approaching midterm elections.

Balancing safety and competitiveness

The senator acknowledged the challenge of regulating AI without ceding America's technological advantage to China. "The Chinese are putting no guardrails. They're going full speed ahead," Cruz said. He warned that overly restrictive U.S. regulation could allow China to catch up within six months and surpass American capabilities.

Cruz cited a conversation with Elon Musk in which the entrepreneur estimated a 10-20% chance that AI could "destroy humanity" within the next decade. "It's deeply concerning," Cruz said of the risk assessment.

AI emerging as midterm campaign issue

The regulatory discussion comes as artificial intelligence surfaces as a campaign theme in competitive House races. In Pennsylvania's closely watched contest, Democratic challenger Bob Harvie launched his first general election ad calling for a one-year data center moratorium, attacking Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for taking tech industry money and supporting tax breaks for data centers.

Fitzpatrick, a moderate incumbent in a district Vice President Kamala Harris carried in 2024, has attempted to stake out middle ground, supporting the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act to address electricity costs associated with data centers while pledging to enable innovation without compromising communities.

Meanwhile, President Trump's surprise announcement of a proposed $5,000 "Trump dividend" for every American adult drew immediate skepticism from fiscal conservatives in his own party, with some calling the over-$1 trillion proposal a "desperate attempt to change the political mood" ahead of the midterms.

The details were first reported by POLITICO.