WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the middle of the night, the Senate voted 99 -1 in favor of stripping the ban on any state AI regulation from the massive budget bill. The provision would have been an undemocratic and unprecedented move to disarm the only entities meaningfully attempting to protect consumers and workers.

A massive coalition of people from across the aisle and country came together to make it clear this attempt to give a gift to the tech industry at the expense of everyone else was unacceptable. CFA members along with many others called their Senators and mobilized against this shadowy, haphazard attempt to prohibit states from protecting their residents.

“The tech lobby attempted to manipulate the legislative process, but they were soundly defeated,” said Ben Winters, Director of AI and Privacy at Consumer Federation of America. “This outcome sends a clear signal that special interest groups cannot simply override public concerns with backroom deals, and that everyday people can successfully challenge corporate overreach.”