House Republican leaders are scrambling to revive a controversial artificial intelligence moratorium by tucking it into this year's National Defense Authorization Act after President Donald Trump publicly demanded a single national rulebook for AI.
The move has reopened a fierce intraparty fight and all but guarantees unified Democrat resistance, reported Semafor.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., has told allies he wants NDAA language that would block states from enforcing or passing their own AI regulations for several years, effectively preempting the fast-growing patchwork of state laws.
Trump amplified the push on Truth Social, arguing that "one Federal Standard" is necessary to keep the U.S. ahead of China and to stop what he calls "woke" or censorious state AI rules.
This isn't the first time Republicans have tried the tactic. A broader moratorium was floated earlier in 2025 through Trump's domestic agenda bill, but the Senate defeated it 99–1.
Now GOP leaders are betting that the must-pass defense bill can do what standalone tech legislation couldn't: force reluctant lawmakers to swallow the measure to keep the NDAA on track.
Some Republicans, especially those with strong states'-rights instincts or skepticism of Big Tech, say Congress shouldn't hand Silicon Valley a regulatory timeout.
The backlash has been loud enough that even a draft Trump executive order aimed at preempting state AI laws was reportedly paused after bipartisan blowback.
Democrats, meanwhile, are lining up against any moratorium shoved into the NDAA. California Rep. Doris Matsui and other House Democrats warn that freezing state enforcement would leave consumers exposed to deepfakes, fraud, biased algorithms, and unchecked use of AI in hiring, housing, healthcare, and elections.
A bipartisan group of state attorneys general, 36 by one count, has also urged Congress to reject federal preemption, arguing states need flexibility while Washington remains gridlocked.
Supporters counter that 50 different rule sets will chill innovation and complicate defense-linked AI development, so national security belongs in the national security bill.
Opponents reply that the NDAA is no place for a side-door rewrite of tech policy — and that a moratorium would mostly protect companies from accountability, not soldiers from threats.
With final NDAA negotiations underway and votes expected in early December, the moratorium fight is shaping up as a rare three-way brawl: Trump and leadership versus GOP federalists, with Democrats ready to torch the whole idea.
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