AI Moratorium in Big Beautiful Bill Stripped After Marsha Blackburn Said It Would Allow Big Tech to Exploit Kids, Conservatives

The Senate on Tuesday voted nearly unanimously to strip a ten-year moratorium on state-based artificial intelligence regulation from the Big Beautiful Bill after Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that the provision would allow Big Tech to exploit “kids, creators,” and conservatives.

The Senate voted at 4:20 AM Tuesday morning to adopt Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s amendment to eliminate a provision offered by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) that would bar states from regulating artificial intelligence if they would accept additional funding from the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which is designed to accelerate broadband deployment.

Blackburn and Cruz initially struck a compromise on an amended provision that intended to “protect kids, creators, and other vulnerable individuals from the unintended consequences of AI.”

However, it appears that Blackburn could not accept the compromise language for the provision, believing that it would lead to Big Tech continuing to exploit “kids, creators, and conservatives:”

For as long as I’ve been in Congress, I’ve worked alongside federal and state legislators, parents seeking to protect their kids online, and the creative community in Tennessee to fight back against Big Tech’s exploitation by passing legislation to govern the virtual space. While I appreciate Chairman Cruz’s efforts to find acceptable language that allows states to protect their citizens from the abuses of AI, the current language is not acceptable to those who need these protections the most. This provision could allow Big Tech to continue to exploit kids, creators, and conservatives. Until Congress passes federally preemptive legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act and an online privacy framework, we can’t block states from making laws that protect their citizens. [Emphasis added]

Subsequently, Sens. Blackburn,  Susan Collins (R-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) filed an amendment to strip the AI moratorium from the Big Beautiful Bill.

The amendment was adopted 99-1, with only Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) opposed to the amendment. Cruz also voted for Blackburn’s amendment.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote, “10 year AI moratorium on states is dead in the Senate version of the OBBB. Federalism is preserved and humans are safe for now. Thank you @MarshaBlackburn for killing that insanity with a 99-1 vote!!”