State of Play
The House and Senate are in session this week, and coming back to an unexpected new top priority - preparing war powers votes.
Driving the News
President Donald Trump’s surprise military campaign to overthrow Iran’s regime over the weekend has ignited an intense battle on Capitol Hill, with Democrats arguing the action was illegal without congressional authorization and Republicans largely rallying behind the President despite public opposition and mounting casualties.
President Trump ordered all federal agencies to cease use of Anthropic’s AI tools in light of tensions between the company and Defense Department on the scope of how Anthropic’s tools can be used. More on that below.
The Administration’s actions add to Congress’ mounting to-do list, with Committees continuing to hold meetings on AI innovations, nominations, kids online protections, and more.
Three Things to Watch in Tech
Energy and Commerce Gears Up for High-Stakes Kids Tech Markup: The House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to mark up a sweeping slate of kids and teens online safety bills on Thursday, including the closely watched Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), though deep partisan divides remain over platform liability, speech concerns, app store age verification, and limits on state regulation.
Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) has delayed the timeline in pursuit of bipartisan support, but negotiations are still fluid and some measures could change before reaching the floor.
The debate also intersects with broader GOP pushes on national AI standards, federal preemption, and comprehensive privacy reform, while the Senate weighs its own version of KOSA, setting up a complex path forward for tech regulation.
Senate Commerce Takes on Nominee to Lead NIST: The Senate Commerce Committee will hold its long-awaited nomination hearing for Purdue Engineering Dean Arvind Raman to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
NIST has been without a NIST director since the Administration took over, and Raman will be faced with a long priority list to tackle during his tenure.
The Committee will hear from Raman alongside NASA Deputy Administrator nominee Matthew Anderson.
Raman’s nomination comes as NIST is in the midst of several emerging tech RFI’s, including its open comment on agentic AI security.
Senators will likely hammer on the institute’s AI initiatives, particularly as Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) look to revive codification of the former NIST AI Safety Institute, which has been rebranded the NIST Center for AI Standards and Innovation.
How Industry is Responding to DOD’s Anthropic Fight: In a Truth Social post, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s AI tools and directed the Pentagon to designate the company a national security “supply chain risk,” following Anthropic’s refusal to remove safeguards preventing its models from being used for fully autonomous weapons or mass domestic surveillance.
The government began a six-month phaseout and barred defense contractors from doing business with the company, while Anthropic signaled it would challenge the move legally.
The Administration’s move sets up a clash between government and industry, with the executive branch arguing elected leaders must control how AI is deployed in national defense, while Anthropic and many in the tech sector contend that removing safety guardrails through political pressure sets a dangerous precedent, chills innovation, and expands executive power without clear limits.
🏛️ Tech Hearings
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on "Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security" - Tuesday, March 3 at 9:00 AM EST
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness Subcommittee holds a hearing to examine AI that improves safety, productivity, and care - Tuesday, March 3 at 10:15 AM EST
The House Education and the Workforce Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee holds a hearing on "Building an AI-Ready America: Strengthening Employer-Led Training" - Wednesday, March 4 at 10:15 AM EST
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee holds a hearing to examine transforming health care with data, focusing on improving patient outcomes through next-generation care - Thursday, March 5 at 10:00 AM EST
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee holds a hearing to examine the nominations of Arvind Raman to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and and Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology - Thursday, March 5 at 10:00 AM EST
🗓️ Upcoming Events
ACA Connects - 2026 Summit - Tuesday, March 3 & Wednesday, March 4
Federal News Network - Federal Leaders Guide to the CHCO w/ Scott Kupor - Thursday, March 5 at 8:30 AM EST
The Washington International Trade Association - Virtual Discussion on "WTO (World Trade Organization) Matters: Trading with Intelligence and Unlocking the Benefits of Digital Trade, AI and Emerging Technologies" - Thursday, February 5 at 9:00 AM EST
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation - Discussion on "Context Matters: Building Trust in Digital Content” - Thursday, February 5 at 12:00 PM EST
