1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to you as a constituent and a deeply concerned citizen regarding the AI regulation moratorium embedded in the current budget reconciliation bill—the provision that would prohibit states and local governments from enacting or enforcing any laws or regulations on artificial intelligence systems for the next 10 years. This proposal is both unprecedented and dangerous. It would strip away the rights of states like California and New York, which have already enacted critical AI-related protections: requiring bias audits for employment algorithms, transparency in healthcare communications, and disclosure of training data used in generative AI. These laws exist for one reason: to protect people—consumers, workers, patients, and artists—from abuse, exploitation, and discrimination. Under this moratorium, even modest, common-sense protections would become unenforceable. That is not regulation—it is legalized impunity. We are already seeing the consequences of unregulated AI. Generative AI models have recommended harmful medical misinformation, advised people to eat glue or rocks, and continue to produce biased, inaccurate, or hallucinated outputs. AI-generated deepfakes have been used for harassment and disinformation. Voice actors and artists are losing their livelihoods to synthetic replicas of their work—without consent, compensation, or recourse. This is not just a threat to creative industries—it is a threat to every sector of society, including healthcare, hiring, law enforcement, and education. And if this provision passes, no state government will be allowed to act—no matter how severe the harm. Let me be blunt: a 10-year ban on state-level AI oversight is a gift to powerful corporations and a betrayal of the public interest. It will allow generative AI and automated decision systems to expand unchecked, without accountability or transparency. It will silence the voices of voters, community leaders, and experts trying to respond to emerging risks in real time. Our democracy depends on the ability of states and communities to act where federal policy fails or lags behind. This bill would gag those voices for a decade—and in a field as fast-moving and impactful as AI, that is equivalent to surrender. I urge you in the strongest possible terms: oppose this moratorium. Strip this language from the budget reconciliation bill. Support a future where AI works for people—not against them. Protect the rights of states, of workers, of patients, of citizens. We deserve better than this. Sincerely