STATEMENT: Sen. Schiff Statement on Trump AI Executive Order Preempting State Safeguards Meant to Protect Consumers and Workers

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) issued the following statement on President Trump's AI executive order preempting state laws which establish commonsense guardrails on AI technology in light of federal inaction:

"AI has the potential to improve our lives and fundamentally change the way we work and live, but it's critical that we ensure there are guardrails to mitigate potential harms to users and consumers. The president has the power to help develop this technology while protecting a state's right to protect its own citizens.

"Instead, he has chosen to try and preempt state laws that are establishing meaningful safeguards around AI and replace them with nothing. It's no wonder leaders from both parties including Republican governors have spoken out against this policy.

"This order seeks to sharply limit states' ability to protect their own citizens. And while Congress and the federal government should certainly take the lead on crafting the rules of the road for this revolutionary technology, in the absence of federal legislative action, the states can and must exercise the power they have to protect their residents.

"The so-called party of states' rights should oppose this gross overreach from the president, as should anyone hoping to see Washington act in a meaningful way on AI. The lack of federal action to protect the public from the societal ills of social media should be a cautionary tale, not an invitation to likewise abdicate federal leadership with yet another transformative technology."

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