# AI Regulation Fight Divides Washington > Congress clashes over AI safety laws as Democrats and Republicans battle over energy costs and national security. - Title: AI Regulation Fight Divides Washington · TIME | Shortify - Summary: Congress clashes over AI safety laws as Democrats and Republicans battle over energy costs and national security. Democrats push for AI safety regulations… - Keywords: ai regulation, energy costs, congress, democrats, republicans, ai safety, data centers, chip security, openai, anthropic, ai labs, midterms - Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/09/25/ai-congress-regulation-safety-democrats-republicans - Author: Naomi Nix - Published: 2026-09-25T13:41:18.462+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: ai regulation, energy costs, congress, democrats, republicans, ai safety, data centers, chip security, openai, anthropic, ai labs, midterms ## Senate debate on AI costs Senator Jon Husted and Martin Heinrich propose AI labs pay for energy costs. > AI labs should pay for the energy costs associated with their ballooning data-center footprint, rather than everyday Americans. ## Ratepayer Protection Act blocked Heinrich blocked Husted's bill, calling it inadequate for forcing data center costs. > The Ratepayer Protection Act might make a lot of politicians feel good, but it won't do anything to actually force data centers to pay their fair share. ## Husted's reelection stakes Husted faces negative ads over expanding data centers as lieutenant governor. > Husted has faced an onslaught of negative ads over the role he played as lieutenant governor in expanding data centers across the state. ## Partisan AI legislation race Democrats and some Republicans propose hundreds of AI bills amid job market and energy concerns. > Americans become increasingly worried about the ways AI companies may disrupt the job market, raise their energy bills, and even wipe out humanity. ## Coxon resignation impact Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned after posting about AI risks. > frontier AI labs were 'gambling with our lives.' ## OpenAI and Anthropic responses OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei call for industry slowdown and global safety standards. > OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responded with calls for an industry slowdown and government intervention to coordinate global safety standards. ## Midterms near, bills surge Seven AI bills introduced since Coxon's resignation, with more expected before midterms. > At least seven AI bills introduced since Coxon's resignation alone. ## Congressional urgency debate Experts warn reactive legislation won't lead to good policy outcomes. > They're trying to push legislation that seems to address what appears to be a problem coming from the public narrative but that doesn't always necessarily lead to good policy overall. ## AI safety bill timeline House Speaker Mike Johnson and Brett Guthrie delay major AI safety bills until next year. > The group probably wouldn't advance a major bill until next year. ## Superintelligent AI risks Lawmakers debate dangers of superintelligent AI systems and their potential threats. > Lawmakers will have to overcome deep differences in their views about how dangerous superintelligent AI systems are to the American people. ## FRONTIER Act proposal Reps. Obernolte and Trahan propose FRONTIER Act for AI safety reviews. > The bill calls for independent investigators to review companies' safety plans and bar model release if imminent catastrophic risk. ## METR scrutiny METR faces right-wing criticism over ties to effective altruism. > The New York Post called the group the 'Woke Wizards of AI.' ## State vs federal laws Sen. Thune and Klobuchar propose federal liability for AI labs, facing pushback from Sen. Cantwell. > I welcome the urgency. But the answer is not a weak federal standard that becomes a backdoor for wiping out stronger state protections. ## Chip security bill Chip Security Act may be folded into defense spending bill to restrict Chinese chip access. > It does no good at all if we have all kinds of [AI] rules in the United States and then these [chips] get smuggled into China. ## AI energy costs next step Energy costs from AI data centers likely to be next major legislative focus. > There isn't agreement on what else would be valuable to do right now. ## Key takeaway Democrats push for AI safety regulations while Republicans resist, risking delays in critical legislation.