Gillibrand Statement On Secretary Hegseth’s Rejection Of AI Guardrails

Gillibrand Statement On Secretary Hegseth's Rejection Of AI Guardrails

Feb 27, 2026

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement after reports that the Pentagon threatened Anthropic over the company's requests for guardrails in DOD's use of its AI technology:

"Secretary Hegseth's attack on AI safety procedures contradicts common sense and undermines our national security.

"It also raises serious questions about why the DOD seeks to deploy autonomous weapons with an AI model neither designed nor ready to be used for such a purpose, as well to conduct mass domestic surveillance of American citizens. The Department must cease these efforts and provide the American people and Congress with full transparency on its plans to surveil Americans and develop fully autonomous weapons. Lawyers at the Justice Department and Department of Defense have been willing to use secret interpretations of law to put us into armed conflict abroad and the door should not be left open for them to do the same here through secret and novel interpretations of 'any lawful purpose.'

"Punishing AI safety destroys American leadership and will have a chilling effect on responsible AI development around the world. This is a gift to our adversaries and a strike against American innovation. America should be leading the world in developing international norms surrounding these technologies, ensuring outcomes in our national interest. Instead, Pete Hegseth is consigning us to runner-up status.

"Removing guardrails doesn't produce efficiency; it guarantees a future of catastrophic harm.

"We must have clear AI safety procedures across military and civilian life - with humans in control. The health of our democracy and America's leadership around the world depend on it not just in the military, but across health care, law enforcement, financial systems, and everything else this technology will touch.

"This event only underscores that Congress' continued lack of action on AI legislation is creating a future of devastating consequences. We must create clear rules of the road to promote safety, protect civil rights, and ensure America's AI innovation leads the world."

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