Lawmakers Push Johnson to Scrap Recess Over AI Safety Concerns

(MENAFN) A group of US lawmakers is pressing House Speaker Mike Johnson to cancel an upcoming recess and keep Congress working until it passes AI safety legislation, Axios reported Friday. A letter drafted by Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo of California, backed by Reps. George Whitesides, Lori Trahan and Ted Lieu, calls for the House to return immediately and stay in session until bipartisan AI protections move forward.

The lawmakers cited recent warnings from current and former researchers at Anthropic that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity within a decade. The House is due back Monday but is scheduled to leave for recess a week later, until Nov. 9.

The letter points to two bipartisan proposals: the AI Kill Switch Act, which would guarantee humans retain the ability to slow or shut down AI systems, and the FRONTIER Act, which would create a national regulatory framework. Johnson plans a vote next week on data-center energy costs but has given no indication of broader AI action before Nov. 3 — the date of the midterm elections, with hundreds of House and Senate seats at stake.

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