A bipartisan group of attorneys general, including Washington’s Nick Brown and Idaho’s Raul Labrador, is again seeking to block federal bans on states regulating artificial intelligence.
On Tuesday, a group of 36 state attorneys general sent a letter to Congressional leadership objecting to the possibility of a provision in the military funding bill that would block states from passing AI regulations.
The letter urges the federal government to work with states to develop regulations rather than imposing a blanket moratorium.
“If Congress is serious about how the emergence of AI creates opportunities and challenges for our safety and well-being, states look forward to collaborating on substantive efforts,” the letter says. “AI will cause huge waves in our public safety, national security, economy, and health. The United States must be ready to become a global leader.”
Over the summer, attorneys general across the country, including in Washington, raised concerns about a similar provision originally included in the One Big Beautiful Bill that would halt states from regulating technology for the next 10 years. Language in the bill that would have restricted states from “restricting, restricting, or otherwise regulating” artificial intelligence for the next 10 years was removed by an amendment introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington.
Although Congress has not yet adopted regulations regarding the technology, state legislatures have proposed a series of laws in recent years that would create a patchwork of regulations.
State legislatures introduced more than 1,000 bills to regulate this technology during the 2025 legislative session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Olympia, lawmakers introduced at least 22 bills during the 2025 session that would regulate the use of artificial intelligence in a variety of areas, including scientific research and the rental housing market.
Cantwell said in June that 24 states have adopted legislation to regulate AI in 2024. Among the states that have adopted the bill is Washington, which created an artificial intelligence task force within the attorney general’s office that Brown said in June would contribute to “studying and researching the impact” of the technology.
“While AI promises to be a game-changing technology in many areas, it also poses significant risks, especially to the most vulnerable among us: children,” the letter said. “Countries must be empowered to apply existing laws and develop new approaches to address the various challenges associated with AI.”
The letter is the latest attempt by state officials to comply with a growing number of regulations regarding artificial intelligence.
Labrador says the province has adopted a ban on AI-generated images of child sexual abuse material, which has already resulted in felony convictions.
“I will never support the federal government dictating to provinces what they can and cannot do to protect their people within the framework of the Constitution,” Labrador said in a statement Tuesday. “We have seen that artificial intelligence can be dangerously abused and misused. States like Idaho should not be prevented from doing what we think is right and necessary.”
Meanwhile, the White House drafted an executive order to reduce state regulations. The current draft, which was not announced by the president, argues that a wave of artificial intelligence regulations being proposed in state legislatures across the country “could undermine the innovative culture” of American artificial intelligence companies.
Reuters reported on Friday that the White House had put the executive order on hold.
“It is the policy of the United States to maintain and strengthen America’s global AI advantage through a unified national AI policy framework that minimizes burdens,” the draft executive order reads.
The executive order asks the U.S. Attorney General to establish an “AI Litigation Task Force” to challenge state regulations across the country. The executive order states that the federal government may withhold federal funding from states.
President Donald Trump said last week that lawmakers should include the federal standard in a separate bill or include language in the National Defense Authorization Act.
“Overregulation by each country threatens to undermine this engine of growth,” President Trump said on social media.
Trump added that a single, unified approach is needed, rather than a “patchwork of 50 state regulatory systems.”
