Senator Ben Ray Lujan sent a formal request to Senate leadership on September 25, 2026, advocating for the establishment of a bipartisan Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. The proposed body aims to consolidate oversight currently fragmented across multiple committees, including Commerce, Armed Services, and Judiciary.
The initiative seeks to address complex policy questions regarding AI risks and opportunities. Senator Ruben Gallego previously submitted a similar proposal on September 9, 2026, highlighting concerns such as national security, workforce displacement, election integrity, and the protection of critical infrastructure.
The push for federal oversight follows a call from a coalition of 26 state attorneys general on September 24 and 25 for national AI safety standards. This movement highlights concerns that a lack of federal regulation may lead to a patchwork of state-level rules, complicating compliance for technology companies.
While the European Union has adopted the AI Act and China has implemented governance rules, the United States currently lacks a comprehensive federal regulatory framework. Senator Lujan previously co-sponsored the TEST AI Act, which focused on establishing testing and evaluation standards for AI systems.
