Senator Josh Hawley is urging fellow Republicans to refuse campaign contributions from pro-AI political action committees, warning of a "political cost" if Congress fails to regulate Big Tech. In an FT interview, the Missouri Republican called on lawmakers to eschew backing from PACs funded by OpenAI and Palantir founders and companies like Meta.

Super PACs backing light-touch AI regulation have amassed roughly $300mn in war chests. The largest, Leading the Future, has received $50mn from Andreessen Horowitz and $25mn from OpenAI president Greg Brockman, claiming $140mn total. The financial pressure has silenced some Democrats ahead of November's midterms, with top party consultants advising candidates not to antagonize the pro-AI lobby.

One of Washington's loudest Big Tech critics, Hawley has introduced multiple bills to regulate the technology, including one following child self-harm incidents linked to AI chatbots. He broke with the Trump administration last year to oppose banning state-level AI regulation. "When there's a human cost, there will be a political cost," Hawley warned, arguing Congress must act now or face voter backlash.