The Trump administration on Friday laid out a legislative framework for a singular policy for AI in the United States. The framework would centralize power in Washington by preempting state AI laws, potentially undercutting the recent surge of efforts from states to regulate the use and development of the technology.
“This framework can only succeed if it is applied uniformly across the United States,” reads a White House statement on the framework. “A patchwork of conflicting state laws would undermine American innovation and our ability to lead in the global AI race.”
The framework outlines seven key objectives that prioritize innovation and scaling AI, and proposes a centralized federal approach that would override stricter state-level regulations. It places significant responsibility on parents for issues like child safety, and lays out relatively soft, nonbinding expectations for platform accountability.
For example, it says Congress should require AI companies to implement features that “reduce the risks of sexual exploitation and harm to minors,” but does not lay out any clear, enforceable requirements.
Trump’s framework comes three months after he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to challenge state AI laws. The order gave the Commerce Department 90 days to compile a list of “onerous” state AI laws, potentially risking states’ eligibility for federal funds like broadband grants. The agency has yet to publish that list.
The order also directed the administration to work with Congress on a uniform AI law. That vision is coming into focus, and it mirrors Trump’s earlier AI strategy, which focused less on guardrails and more on promoting companies’ growth.
The new framework proposes a “minimally burdensome national standard,” echoing the administration’s broader push to “remove outdated or unnecessary barriers to innovation” and accelerate AI adoptions across industries. This is a pro-growth, light-touch regulatory approach championed by “accelerationists,” one of whom is White House AI czar and venture capitalist David Sacks.
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