Senate Commerce Chair Sets Late-July AI Markup Amid Policy Uncertainty

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz announced a markup on artificial-intelligence legislation for late July 2026. He told Politico the session is intended to advance proposals that have a realistic chance of becoming law and that the committee will prioritize measures with bipartisan support.

Ted Cruz Controls Senate AI Markup AgendaPoliticoGizmodo

Cruz warned that “Big Tech and Radical Left” could empower the administrative state, stifle innovation, and let China overtake the U.S. in AI. He later issued an AI policy aligned with Donald Trump’s AI action plan and backed a law criminalizing images. His 2024 attempt to embed a 10-year moratorium in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was defeated 99-1. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), and analyst Adam Thierer are participants.

Politico

Seven bipartisan AI bills cleared the committee. Polls show a 3-to-1 opposition to an AI-law moratorium. Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) would pair safety measures with preempting state rules. Markup could create an AI regulatory framework, shaping safeguards and protections, while preemption decisions will influence balance between standards and experimentation.

Gizmodo

Cruz said committee will pursue “targeted” action in “truly novel circumstances” like catastrophic risk, deepfakes and chatbots. Cantwell argued seven AI bills address national-security concerns. Blumenthal warned AI pace challenges Congress’s capacity to keep up. Thierer called shift away from state-law preemption “quite a reversal.”

Politico

Cantwell accused Cruz of blocking the seven AI bills from a year-end funding package. Critics of KOSA warn it could restrict online speech and erode anonymity. John Curtis expressed “there’s not a lot of consensus” among Republicans on AI regulation. Public polls show strong resistance to a federal AI-law moratorium.

Gizmodo

Committee members have not been told which specific bills Cruz will advance, and his aides declined to confirm whether Blackburn’s White-House agreement will be presented. The White House and Blackburn’s office have not responded to inquiries, leaving uncertainty about the final markup agenda.

Politico

• “This markup is designed to move legislation that has a real chance of passing into law,” — Senator Ted Cruz, Senate Commerce Committee Chair

Politico

• “He originally had the position that we didn’t need to adopt any AI legislation whatsoever — that we should just allow the market to work,” — Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.)

Politico

• “It’s quite a reversal,” — Adam Thierer, senior fellow, R Street Institute

Politico

The July markup will likely feature KOSA and a handful of AI bills vetted for bipartisan support. Follow-up hearings could cement the first comprehensive federal AI regulatory scheme and shape related measures on college-sports reform and other priorities.

Politico