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House Democrats Urge Johnson to Cancel Recess Over AI Safety Concerns
A group of House Democrats is urging Speaker Mike Johnson to cancel the House’s upcoming recess and keep lawmakers in session to address what they describe as serious risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence.
In a letter to Johnson, Reps. Sam Liccardo, George Whitesides, Lori Trahan and Ted Lieu called on the speaker to reconvene the House immediately and remain in session until lawmakers advance what they described as meaningful, bipartisan AI safeguards.
The lawmakers cited potential threats including large-scale cybersecurity breaches and the possible use of artificial intelligence in developing biological or chemical weapons.
The House is scheduled to return Monday for a legislative week before beginning a break after Thursday. Members are scheduled to return November 9, following the midterm elections. House leaders also previously canceled two weeks of work scheduled for late September, giving members additional time to campaign in their districts.
The Democrats' letter points to several recent reports involving the potential misuse of AI.
Anthropic said in a September threat-intelligence report that it identified and disrupted multiple operations in which actors attempted to use its Claude AI models for malicious activity. The company said the activity included efforts involving biological misuse, surveillance, conventional weapons and cyber operations.
Anthropic also reported an Iran-linked operation that used Claude to collect and analyze publicly available information to develop targeting recommendations involving U.S. naval forces in the region. The company said it banned the account, developed additional safeguards and shared threat intelligence with government authorities.
The company has also said its latest evaluations show that some AI models are becoming increasingly capable in certain intelligence and weapons-related tasks, underscoring the need for safeguards designed to prevent misuse.
The House Democrats' request comes as lawmakers continue debating how, and how quickly, Congress should respond to the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
The letter argues that while lawmakers may disagree over the specifics of AI regulation, Congress should address the potential risks before the technology advances further.
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By: NBC Palm Springs
September 11, 2026
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