TN Attorney General Co-Leads Bipartisan Letter to Congress Opposing Budget Amendment Prohibiting States from Enforcing Artificial Intelligence Regulations

NASHVILLE—Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti today joined Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, and Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark in leading a bipartisan letter signed by 36 other state attorneys general opposing a federal ban on state regulation of AI products.

“The combined efforts of the states and the federal government have been, at best, barely enough to protect consumers from Big Tech,” said Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti. “AI has incredible potential but amplifies every risk we've seen from Big Tech and creates new risks we don't fully understand.  Eliminating state oversight through this reconciliation amendment guarantees Americans will suffer repeated violations of their privacy, consumer protection, and antitrust laws.”

AI promises to revolutionize America’s economy, spur achievement and innovation, and improve lives across the country. However, the rise of such technology presents real, immediate dangers ranging from explicit material and election interference to deception, exploitation, and harassment against consumers. In the absence of federal leadership, state legislatures and attorneys general have continued to be at the forefront of ensuring AI is not abused and that consumers are protected. As the letter to Congress emphasizes, state laws and regulations “have been developed over years through careful consideration and extensive stakeholder input from consumers, industry, and advocates. And, in the years ahead, additional matters—many unforeseeable today given the rapidly evolving nature of this technology—are likely to arise.”

If enacted, the amendment would strip away essential state protections without replacing them with a viable federal regulatory framework and silence state leaders who are best positioned to respond.  Any effort to prohibit states from enacting and enforcing laws aimed at regulating AI and protecting consumers will leave AI entirely unregulated at any level and Americans completely exposed to its known harms and evolving, real-world risks—ultimately leading to dangerous consequences for the American people. The bipartisan coalition of attorneys general respectfully urges Congress to reject the AI moratorium added to the budget reconciliation bill.

Led by the attorneys general of Tennessee, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Vermont, the attorneys general of American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin join in this bipartisan letter to Congress.

You can read the full letter here.

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