House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries agreed Sunday that Congress must establish guardrails for artificial intelligence but declined to commit to specific policies or timelines. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, warned against hasty regulation that could disadvantage U.S. companies against Chinese AI firms, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that lawmakers must proceed carefully. Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, criticized the slow pace and called for "decisive action" on ABC's "This Week" but would not detail specific restrictions, saying talks would begin this week as the House returns for its final session before the midterm elections.

The urgency follows escalating warnings from industry leaders. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned Tuesday, citing irresponsible development. CEO Dario Amodei urged companies to slow development, a call backed by Sam Altman of Open AI and Elon Musk of Space X. Former President Barack Obama recently pressed Democrats to clarify positions on AI risks.

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said the Trump administration is studying Capitol Hill efforts, including a potential "kill switch" for rogue models. Both Hassett and Johnson emphasized private sector involvement in any regulatory framework. With the midterms looming, comprehensive legislation appears unlikely before November.