Ranking Member Cantwell Says Blackburn-Cruz AI Moratorium Amendment Does Nothing to Protect Kids and Consumers

Sen Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, spoke out against the last-minute deal between Sens Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on a proposed five-year moratorium on states’ ability to regulate artificial intelligence. The deal comes as parents, school districts and states are fighting social media companies in court to stop them from pushing their harmful and addictive products on kids, and this provision will give Meta and TikTok a get out of jail free card. “The Blackburn-Cruz amendment does nothing to protect kids or consumers,” said Sen Cantwell. “It’s just another giveaway to tech companies. This provision gives AI and social media a brand-new shield against litigation and state regulation. This is Section 230 on steroids. And when Secretary Howard Lutnick has the authority to force states to take this deal or lose all of their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding, consumers will find out just how catastrophic this deal is."