House Democrats establish AI working group as industry bolsters DC presence
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) raises a finger as he speaks during a press conference, more than a month into the longest U.S. government shutdown in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 10, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
House Democrats are forming a commission on artificial intelligence to position themselves as leaders on the issue as AI companies train their focus — and campaign contributions — on Washington, D.C.
The House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy, set to begin meeting this month, will work with AI companies, stakeholders and congressional committees that oversee aspects of the sector to help develop policy expertise.
The commission is a response to the growing presence of AI policy and AI companies around Washington.
AI companies are ramping up lobbying, opening offices close to the Capitol and launching campaigns through a super PAC with at least $100 million to spend on the midterm elections in 2026.
There has been a growing debate over AI, specifically related to an increasing number of individual state laws that could conflict with a federal standard.
OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz and Google are lobbying to block state laws that regulate AI. Democrats have largely opposed that push.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a statement shared with CNBC about the working group, said Democrats are “ready, willing and able to lean into those issues so we can uplift the health, safety and economic well-being of the American people.”
House Democratic Caucus vice-chair Ted Lieu, D-Calif., participates in the House Democrats’ post-caucus news conference in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Rep. Ted Lieu of California, Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina will lead the commission. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California and Rep. Frank Pallone of Massachusetts, the top Democrats on committees that cover AI, will serve as ex-officio co-chairs. All House Democrats will be invited to participate.
Lieu drew a line between how Republicans and Democrats have handled AI issues.
He slammed the Trump administration for proposing to sell advanced chips to China, striking revenue-sharing agreements and posting deepfake videos. Trump announced Monday that he will allow Nvidia to send advanced H200 chips to “approved customers” in China and elsewhere.
“House Democrats reject this misguided approach, which risks leaving Americans vulnerable and our competitiveness weakened,” Liu said in a statement. “Instead, Democrats will meet the moment by working with all stakeholders to develop smart, durable solutions that strengthen innovation and protect the public.”
Gottheimer said the group also wants to find ways to keep the U.S. “ahead of the curve” when it comes to AI and work with the larger industry.
“We need to ensure Congress is educated on these new technologies, that we’re putting the right policies and guardrails in place to grow and protect Americans,” he said in a statement.
The House previously had a bipartisan task force on AI that issued a report in December 2024, which laid out recommendations for action at both the congressional and executive levels.
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