Trump Administration Unveils National AI Policy Framework, Seeking to Preempt State Laws
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration Friday released a legislative framework for a unified national policy on artificial intelligence, seeking to establish consistent safety and security standards for the rapidly developing technology although preempting state-level AI regulations.
The six-part outline details proposed regulations spanning a range of AI applications and infrastructure, including new child-safety measures and standardized permitting and energy usage protocols for AI data centers. It too calls on Congress to address intellectual property rights and establish rules to “prevent AI systems from being used to silence or censor lawful political expression or dissent.”
The White House stated in an official release its intention to collaborate with Congress “in the coming months” to transform the framework into legislation for President Trump’s signature. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told Fox News Thursday evening that the administration aims to codify the framework into law this year and believes it can garner bipartisan support.
That ambition faces challenges in a deeply divided Congress, where Republicans hold narrow majorities and President Trump has urged GOP lawmakers to prioritize his controversial voter-ID bill ahead of the November midterm elections. The Senate has been engaged in debate over the SAVE America Act this week, though its prospects for passage remain uncertain.
The move comes as several states, including New York and California, have begun developing their own AI regulations in response to growing public concerns about the technology’s potential impacts. AI industry leaders have vocally opposed a “patchwork” of state laws, arguing they would stifle innovation and disadvantage the U.S. In the global competition for AI dominance, particularly against China.
President Trump signed an executive order in December initiating a push for a single national regulatory standard for the AI industry, according to the White House. The newly released framework explicitly argues that “Congress should preempt state AI laws that impose undue burdens to ensure a minimally burdensome national standard consistent with these recommendations, not fifty discordant ones.”
Kratsios, in a Friday morning press release, asserted that “The White House’s national AI legislative framework will unleash American ingenuity to win the global AI race, delivering breakthroughs that create jobs, lower costs, and improve lives for Americans across the country.” He added that the framework also “tackles real concerns head-on — protecting our children online, shielding families from higher energy costs, respecting creators’ rights, and supporting American workers — so every citizen can trust and benefit from this incredible technology.”
The administration’s commitment to “winning the AI race” was underscored by President Trump’s earlier statements, including a pledge to do “whatever it takes” to achieve U.S. Leadership in artificial intelligence, as he stated during a summit in July 2025. He also criticized the previous Biden administration for allegedly hindering AI innovation through restrictive policies.