FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 20, 2025

New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes issued the following statement in response to reporting that President Trump is considering issuing an executive order to preempt state AI laws, including Senator Gounardes’ RAISE Act:

"It's fucked up. Trump and Congressional Republicans claim they want a national AI safety standard, but they're lying. The truth is their Big Tech and VC overlords don’t want any regulation at all, and it’s just cheaper for them to buy off the President and Congress than it is to buy off 50 state legislatures trying to pass smart AI safeguards. This is life or death. If the federal government won't act to keep people safe, states like New York must.”

Background:

The International AI Safety Report has warned that near-future AI systems may result in “large-scale labour market impacts, AI-enabled hacking or biological attacks, and society losing control over general-purpose AI,” among other serious risks to public safety.

While AI drives innovation across New York—from healthcare to climate solutions—there is growing consensus among experts that the policy window to address severe risks may close soon. One recent report noted that "the opportunity to establish effective AI governance frameworks may not remain open indefinitely."

The Responsible AI Safety and Education Act (RAISE) Act (S6953B/A6453B), sponsored by Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Alex Bores, requires the largest AI companies to create basic safety and security protocols for severe risks such as assisting in the creation of bioweapons or carrying out automated criminal activity. The bill has passed both houses of the New York State Legislature and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

###