Jeffries calls for urgent action to slow AI development

House Democratic leader speaking in an ABC interview transcribed by his official office.

We certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist and unfortunately Republicans have abandoned their responsibility. ... We should take decisive action now so that we can slow down ... the pace of development.
Illustration of the U.S. Capitol framed by an abstract AI network and transparent protective dome
Credit: The Dispute Index

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Should Washington impose stronger safeguards on frontier AI?

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Source and context

Official statement

Leader Jeffries calls for urgent AI safeguards in ABC interview (opens in a new tab) - Hakeem JeffriesTranscript lines 104–110

About this source

Official transcript from Leader Hakeem Jeffries's office of his ABC interview. He calls for urgent action and slower AI development, and says Speaker Johnson ended a bipartisan task force.

Before the quotation

In an ABC interview, Jeffries was asked about proposals to address AI safety and the congressional response.

After the quotation

He said House Democrats' AI commission was developing a framework, but he did not endorse the specific Sanders or Lieu proposals discussed elsewhere in the interview.

Condemned
How this statement is classified

Condemns Johnson's and Republicans' handling of AI safety: Jeffries says they abandoned their responsibility and that Johnson killed a bipartisan task force. The source records that as Jeffries's account, not an independently established finding.

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People and groups discussed
Mike Johnson

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Chuck Schumer

NEW 🚨 I’m calling on the Trump admin to provide an all-Senators briefing on the dangers of unchecked AI development—and to explain its lack of action to protect our country. We need a full accounting of their framework for testing AI models. We need clear answers on how we’ll defend against AI-enabled cyberattacks. And we need to know the steps being taken to prevent China from accessing our most advanced AI chips and equipment.
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Sam Altman

We welcome a federal framework that sets consistent safety requirements for frontier AI. ... No amount of American competitive pressure should justify recklessness, or let capabilities get ahead of alignment and monitoring.
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