A group of 20 California state lawmakers sent a letter before the executive order was signed, asking their congressional counterparts to push back against pre-emption or other efforts to limit flexibility.

On 11 December 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) titled, “Ensuring A National Policy Framework For Artificial Intelligence,” signaling a major shift in US AI policy. The EO aims to replace a patchwork of State regulations with a unified federal approach,

The White House has released a fact sheet and Presidential Action outlining a new Executive Order intended to create a unified national policy framework for artificial intelligence, aiming to reduce regulatory fragmentation and guide how AI is governed across the United States.

Despite introducing over 100 bills this year to regulate AI, congressional lawmakers failed to pass any comprehensive legislation. In the absence of federal regulation, all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., introduced AI regulatory bills this year, with 38 states adopting about 100 measures.

Trump's executive order aims to standardize AI regulations across the US, prompting debate on federal versus state oversight.

The executive order is the latest in a series of attempts by the Trump administration to hold back state-level AI rules. But many Republicans are also uncomfortable with the effort.