U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) raises a finger as he speaks during a press conference, more than a month into the longest U.S. government shutdown in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 10, 2025.
House Democrats are forming a commission on artificial intelligence to position themselves as leaders on the issue as AI companies train their focus — and campaign contributions — on Washington, D.C.
The House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy, set to begin meeting this month, will work with AI companies, stakeholders and congressional committees that oversee aspects of the sector to help develop policy expertise.
The commission is a response to the growing presence of AI policy and AI companies around Washington.
AI companies are ramping up lobbying, opening offices close to the Capitol, and launching campaigns through a super PAC with at least $100 million to spend on the midterms elections in 2026.
There has been a growing debate over AI, specifically related to an increasing number of individual state laws that could conflict with a federal standard.
OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz and Google are lobbying to block state laws that regulate AI. Democrats have largely opposed that push.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a statement shared with CNBC about the working group, said that Democrats are "ready, willing and able to lean into those issues so we can uplift the health, safety and economic well-being of the American people."