ICYMI: Congressman García Criticizes Republicans at Subcommittee Hearing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation and Competition for Their Complicity in Trump and Musk’s[...]

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, delivered a powerful statement and line of questioning at a hearing of the Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust. Congressman García's remarks focused on the alarming ways in which Donald Trump and Elon Musk are exploiting AI to target Americans and their deliberate dismantling of essential AI safeguards. Congressman García criticized Republicans for their unquestioning allegiance to Trump and Musk, warning of the growing risks of the unchecked weaponization of AI.

During the hearing, the Congressman asked Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya about the implications of AI and what protections are needed for workers. You can watch Congressman García's remarks and Commissioner Bedoya's answer here.

Below is a transcript of Congressman Garcia's remarks at today's subcommittee hearing.

Thank you, Chairman Fitzgerald.

As usual, so far in this hearing it looks like my colleagues on the Republican side of this panel is here to champion corporate interests over workers and consumers. Today their obedience is making them argue against even reasonable regulation of the AI industry.

While not surprising, it's still incredible to see them making these claims with a straight face given everything that's going on.

Let's start with the fact that the Trump Administration, and its billionaire overlord Elon Musk, are weaponizing AI to carry out their lawless and unpopular agenda. They are using AI to arbitrarily surveil students, expand the power of DHS and ICE, and gut federal agencies.

In the hands of billionaires and authoritarians like Musk and Trump, AI is a loaded gun waiting to be used on immigrants, workers, and consumers. This is exactly why it's absurd to oppose common-sense regulation of the AI industry. Let's talk about what that common sense could be.

It's also absurd because we know what happens when we don't enforce antitrust and consumer protection laws against technology companies. As my colleagues have pointed out, the failure to apply these laws to Big Tech companies at the dawn of the social media age has led to the dominance of these companies, which have routinely abused workers, exploited consumers, and deployed their technology to expand surveillance and trample on privacy rights.

That is the consequence of inaction.

We must learn from our mistakes, and we must prioritize workers and consumers over corporate profits.

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