Cortez Masto, Van Hollen, Colleagues Push Trump to Negotiate Global AI Guardrails with China

Senators call for global cooperation on AI development to preserve public safety, human control

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and 15 of her Democratic colleagues in calling on President Donald Trump to negotiate a formal agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping between the U.S. and China on critical guardrails and global standards for the development, testing, and use of frontier Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. The lawmakers also urged President Trump to consider enacting a mutual pause in frontier AI development to prevent potential cyberattacks, the development of biological weapons, and other dangerous activities that could threaten humanity.

The lawmakers begin, "We write concerning public reporting that your administration plans to have discussions about artificial intelligence with China during the upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping currently planned for September 24, 2026. We support this dialogue and encourage you to have those discussions at the highest level. As extraordinary as the promise of some of AI's advanced capabilities are, safety incidents make clear that both national and international infrastructure is threatened by unregulated testing and release of AI models. It is incumbent upon both governments to discuss necessary guardrails and global standards for the development, testing, and use of AI in order to mitigate the risks of unfettered advancement. As you prepare for the upcoming summit, we urge you to engage with President Xi directly to discuss efforts to avoid the potential harms of this technology for the safety and benefit of the world. America leads in AI innovation, and we must lead the world in AI safety and international cooperation, including by working with China to develop a formal agreement that would slow down, and potentially enact a mutual pause in, frontier AI development to prevent cyberattacks, the development of biological weapons, and other dangerous activities that threaten the lives of the American people and humanity writ large."

They note specifically, "The conversations should include specific focus on the standards needed for development and testing processes, oversight and monitoring of models, enforcing human control over the use of autonomous systems, and technological verification of any agreed upon terms to ensure that an agreement is being enforced. Protecting American safety and leadership in AI will require international cooperation with many countries, but it must start with serious engagement by your administration and China at this summit."

"AI technology is too powerful, and its risks too many, for the U.S. and China to forgo discussions on parameters around its development and use. What our two countries develop as guardrails will serve as a standard for how the technology is used worldwide. Given how quickly AI technology is developing and how transformative it may be, we cannot delay our pursuit of diplomatic efforts to mitigate its risks. Those efforts must start with direct engagement with China to ensure the safety and well-being of all people as AI innovation continues," the lawmakers conclude.

Read the full letter here. Additional signatories include Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai'i), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.).

Senator Cortez Masto has been pushing to ensure America's national security is preserved in the development of AI. The Senator called for guardrails on AI following reports of threats and safety risks posed by rapid AI development. Cortez Masto's FIGHT China Act was signed into law and will prohibit U.S. investment in high end chips and AI in China. The Senator recently introduced the BLADE Act with Senators Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Scott (R-S.C.), and Kim (D-N.J.) to deter our foreign adversaries from stealing the proprietary capabilities of America's frontier AI companies.

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