On June 30, 2025, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton sent a formal letter to U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz urging the removal of a proposed federal moratorium on advanced AI development. The moratorium, currently included in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBB), has sparked debate among state and federal leaders over how best to manage emerging AI risks while preserving local governance.

Sen. Paxton’s letter cites Texas’s recent passage of the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) as a model for AI oversight. The state law prohibits dangerous AI applications such as social credit systems and self-harm algorithms, while creating a controlled environment to evaluate regulatory approaches. According to Paxton, the federal moratorium would override these safeguards and violate the balance of power established under the Tenth Amendment.

“Texas, and every other state, has a right and a duty to legislate on AI,” Paxton writes, warning that federal overreach could hinder timely responses to AI-driven threats, including cyberattacks and misuse by adversaries.

The letter stresses the importance of agility in policymaking, asserting that AI capabilities could soon rival or surpass human intelligence. In that context, Sen. Paxton argues, state governments must retain the ability to lead on AI regulation, particularly where national security and civil resilience are at stake.

Read the letter below.