House Democrats Urge Speaker Johnson to Cancel Recess Over 'Catastrophic' AI Risks

WASHINGTON — A group of House Democrats is pressing Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately cancel an upcoming legislative break, warning that Congress must urgently deal with the "catastrophic risk posed by advanced artificial intelligence." In a formal letter sent to the speaker, the lawmakers highlighted severe national security vulnerabilities, including potential mass cyberattacks and the creation of biological or chemical threats. They also referenced recent reports showing foreign adversaries actively attempting to exploit commercial AI systems. "Reasonable minds may disagree about precisely how Congress should regulate this rapidly evolving technology. We cannot disagree about the imperative for Congress to act," the lawmakers wrote. The letter was spearheaded by Representatives Sam Liccardo, George Whitesides, Lori Trahan, and Ted Lieu, who urged Johnson to keep the House in session until lawmakers pass "meaningful, bipartisan AI safeguards." Campaign Schedule vs. Legislative Urgency While lawmakers are set to meet this week, House leadership previously canceled the final two working weeks of September. The move was intended to let members return to their home districts to campaign ahead of the November midterm elections, with the chamber not scheduled to reconvene until November 9. Critical of the early recess, the Democrats argued that political campaigns should not take priority over emerging technological threats. "While AI safety experts and Americans increasingly urge action to confront this conflagration of risk, Congress fiddles," the letter stated. Rising Threats Highlighted by Researchers To underscore the urgency, the letter pointed to a recent report from AI research firm Anthropic. The company disclosed that it had recently thwarted several misuse attempts involving its Claude models, including: Bioweapons Concerns: Blocking inquiries that could potentially assist in biological weapons development. Foreign Surveillance: Halting a surveillance and recruitment initiative linked to the Chinese government. Military Targeting: Neutralizing an effort tied to Iran that attempted to analyze public data to target U.S. naval assets in the Middle East. With security warnings mounting, the lawmakers warned that delaying regulatory action until after the midterms leaves the nation unnecessarily exposed.