Senate overwhelmingly passes amendment removing state AI moratorium

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) walks through the U.S.Capitol Building June 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Blackburn spearheaded a bipartisan amendment to the reconciliation bill before Congress removing a provision creating a moratorium on state enforcement of AI regulations. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The controversial moratorium on state artificial intelligence regulation enforcement included in the pending reconciliation bill before Congress — which President Donald Trump has referred to as his “big, beautiful bill” — was struck from legislation early Tuesday morning, following extensive lawmaker and tech advocacy pushback.

In a 99-1 vote, the Senate passed the bipartisan amendment to cut the provision spearheaded by Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. Following unsuccessful negotiations with fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz from Texas to whittle the decade-long moratorium down to five years, Blackburn, along with Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Susan Collins, R-Maine., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., submitted an amendment to completely strike the moratorium from ...