AI industry escalates lobbying effort for federal regulation days after Trump's executive order on model review

President Trump signed an executive order requiring AI firms to submit their latest models to the federal government for a 30-day review before public release. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and other lawmakers on Capitol Hill to promote OpenAI's blueprint for federal AI oversight, including mandatory model review.

OpenAI is now backing a 'reverse federalism' approach that urges Congress to build on existing state measures rather than override them—a shift from past Republican efforts to preempt state AI laws. The company supports a relatively strong Illinois law, and rival Anthropic also backs this approach.

Prospects for passage of any AI bill this year are narrowing. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., indicated the timing is unfavorable ('It's June'), and Caleb Max, CEO of the National Artificial Intelligence Association, stated: 'Every day that passes … I increasingly think it's probably not going to happen.' GOP anti-tech populists like Sen. Josh Hawley oppose handing AI firms any win, while many Democrats prefer to wait until after the election.