GoKawiilU.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) talks on the phone as he walks from his office to the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 14, 2026 in Washington, DC.
The House of Representatives adjourned Wednesday, leaving Washington and almost certainly punting action on a ballooning artificial intelligence crisis until after November's midterm election.
The early jet-set comes after top AI executives practically begged Washington to regulate them after an Anthropic researcher resigned and claimed the technology "could kill us all by the end of the decade." But the urgency with which Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI have sought to be regulated has not translated into action on Capitol Hill as lawmakers eye the midterms that loom less than seven weeks away.
The midterms will decide control of Washington for the remainder of President Donald Trump's term, and lawmakers are eager to hit the campaign trail to make closing arguments as early voting has already begun in some states. Trump himself has aggressively opposed restrictive regulations on AI, calling reported threats a "hoax."
"It's time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case to the American people," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday, explaining to reporters why he had cancelled the House's planned work on Thursday, according to MS NOW. Johnson appeared to put the onus on the Senate, which is in session for another two weeks, to pass legislation. For a bill to become law, it would need to clear both chambers and be signed by the president.
Earlier in the week, Johnson suggested he did not want Congress to move quickly on regulating AI, warning it could hand China a boon in the race for AI dominance if Congress rushed to slow the technology's progress.
Johnson's decision to send the House home early, however, runs counter to what Democrats and even some Republicans want.
Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., has been pushing for the House to stay in session to place regulations on AI. He led 107 Democrats in writing to Johnson on Tuesday, demanding the House remain in Washington to do so.
"While AI safety experts and Americans increasingly urge action to confront this conflagration of risk, Congress fiddles," the letter read. "When we did return to work after the August recess, we consumed floor time with debates and votes on performative resolutions opposing socialism. After next week, the House resumes its vacation — for another six weeks."