The White House asks Congress to preempt state law
The White House released legislative recommendations for a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, asking Congress among other things to preempt state AI laws that impose undue burdens.
Why it matters
An executive-branch preference became a concrete legislative ask, naming which state laws the administration wants displaced and which it would leave standing.
The document, dated March 2026, was released on 20 March. It is a set of recommendations addressed to Congress, which the White House said it would work with to turn the framework into legislation; by itself it binds no one. Its seven sections cover protecting children, safeguarding communities, including households from higher electricity costs because of data centres, creators and intellectual property, free speech, innovation, workers, and, last, preemption. Congress should preempt state AI laws that impose undue burdens, for "a minimally burdensome national standard", "not fifty discordant ones". That standard should not preempt the states' traditional police powers, including laws to protect children, prevent fraud and protect consumers, nor state zoning of AI infrastructure or a state's own use of AI; but states should not be permitted to regulate AI development. Among the specific asks is to augment law enforcement against AI-enabled impersonation scams and fraud that target vulnerable populations such as seniors.