Trump Executive Order Targets State AI Laws to Establish Federal Framework
A new Executive Order mobilizes the DOJ to challenge burdensome state AI legislation and pushes for a unified national policy to maintain U.S. global dominance.
President Trump issues a new Executive Order on December 11, 2025, aiming to protect American AI innovation from restrictive state laws. The order establishes a national policy framework designed to maintain U.S. global AI dominance through minimal regulatory burdens. This directive aligns with the administration's previously announced America's AI Action Plan.
The order arrives as states introduce over 1,000 AI-related bills, prompting the federal government to centralize oversight. It directs the Department of Justice to identify and challenge overly burdensome state regulations. Additionally, the order ties federal broadband funding to alignment with federal AI policy and encourages litigation to advance federal preemption.
This targeted federal strategy replaces earlier administration proposals that sought a sweeping 10-year moratorium on state AI laws. Those broader moratorium ideas faced bipartisan opposition and were dropped from major legislative packages. The current approach instead relies on agency action and conditional funding to enforce a uniform national standard.