House Ditching Capitol Hill Early Without Touching AI, Debt Or Mass Surveillance
The House decided to leave Washington, D.C., early for the October recess Wednesday and not return until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer announced the last scheduled votes would take place Wednesday afternoon and canceled all votes expected on Thursday. House leadership canceled session for the last two weeks of September to campaign in the midterm elections, although the national debt, mass surveillance and artificial intelligence (AI) remain unresolved.
Over 100 Democrats urged Johnson to stay in session through September and October to rein in AI risks. Tech leaders warned that AI development must slow down or it could kill all humanity within the next decade.
President Donald Trump called these warnings a “sick conspiracy” and argued no guardrails were needed. Many Republicans, including Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, appeared open to placing some guardrails on AI without stifling innovation.
Other Republicans agreed with Trump that China’s AI development remained a threat to the U.S., while others believed AI needed more regulations.
Speaker Mike Johnson said that the House passed 600 pieces of legislation, including the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, that are sitting in the Senate. (Read more from “House Ditching Capitol Hill Early Without Touching AI, Debt Or Mass Surveillance” HERE)
