Jeffries knocks Trump opposition to AI guardrails

This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N. Y.) on Wednesday knocked President Trump for opposing federal limits on the development of AI. Jeffries said Trump’s approach of allowing the AI industry to police itself is a classic — and dangerous — case of letting the fox guard the henhouse. “The notion of entering into a voluntary agreement that is entirely unenforceable, and that allows the industry writ large to police itself, is not the right response at this moment given the potentially grave harm and danger that industry leaders themselves are now flagging for the American people,” Jeffries told reporters just outside the Capitol. The debate over AI safety is even older than the technology itself. But the urgency surrounding that debate has reached new heights in recent weeks in the wake of warnings from some of the leading AI developers that the technology is evolving faster than the human capacity to contain it. Some of them fear the threat is existential. Those warnings have triggered a new urgency among Democrats on Capitol Hill to adopt AI guardrails designed to ensure public safety. Jeffries pointed to episodes where AI agents have gone rogue, operating outside the parameters of the parent company’s direction without detection. “It’s the reason why you have industry leaders publicly saying things need to be slowed down and paced. Because in some instances, it seems like the companies themselves are uncertain as to how to actually contain the explosive growth, and as a result, how to best protect the American people,” Jeffries said. “Congress needs to act, and that’s what Democrats believe should occur — not in the next Congress, but right now.” Trump has rejected the idea that federal policymakers should intervene, calling the warnings about the potential threats posed by AI “a hoax.” On Tuesday, the president hosted many of the top AI leaders at the White House, where he promised to maintain a hands-off approach to the industry. “I will never stifle the growth of technology that will be bigger than the industrial revolution,” he said. The issue is dividing Republicans in the Capitol, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has adopted Trump’s strategy of allowing the industry to take the lead on safeguards, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S. D.) has been more open to the idea Congress should step in with some new limits. Jeffries’s call for immediate action is largely political, since there’s no obvious legislative fix waiting for consideration in either chamber, and even the Democrats’ AI task force has yet to propose its formal recommendations. Still, the AI issue — along with the related debate over the explosive growth of data centers — has emerged as a potent topic heading into the midterm elections. And Democrats are highlighting the contrast between the two parties when it comes to the federal role in ensuring safety precautions, hoping the public anxiety surrounding the rapidly developing technology will win them more votes in November. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.