Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Is a Decade-Long License for AI Disinformation

There are moments when legislative nuance gives way to brute force — where the fine print isn’t just fine, it’s fatal. Buried inside the latest budget bill, cheerfully marketed as Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” is a ticking time bomb. Two, actually. But let’s focus on the one with a ten-year fuse: a full moratorium on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence in elections.

That’s right. More than 20 states — from conservative strongholds to liberal bastions — have passed laws to ban deepfake robocalls, require transparency in AI-generated political ads, and penalize deceptive uses of AI in campaigns. In short, they’ve tried to protect voters from being manipulated by machines.

This bill would erase all of that.

Section 43201(c) bars any such regulation for ten years. It doesn't just preempt new laws. It voids existing ones. It tells states — who have always been the laboratories of democracy — to sit down and shut up. And it leaves our elections wide open to AI-generated chaos until at least 2035.

Imagine what that looks like: fake videos of candidates saying things they never said, deepfake robocalls telling voters their polling place has moved, synthetic endorsements from trusted figures who never endorsed anyone. And with no disclosure requirements, no legal accountability, no recourse. Just lies on loop — faster, cheaper, and more convincing with each election cycle.

It’s not democracy. It’s demolition.

Why would Congress do this? The generous read is that they don’t fully understand what they’ve enabled. The more cynical — and perhaps more accurate — read is that some politicians see benefit in untraceable mudslinging and unregulated digital warfare. They’re not scared of AI. They’re counting on it.

But it doesn’t have to pass like this.

Two provisions — Section 70302 (a sweeping contempt-of-court clause) and Section 43201(c) — must be removed. If you’ve read this far, you’re probably angry. Good. Now channel that anger.

Call your Senators. Tell them to vote no unless those sections are gone.
Use this script:

“Hi, I’m [Your Name] from [Your City/State]. I’m calling to urge Senator [Name] to oppose the budget bill unless Sections 70302 and 43201(c) are removed. These provisions are unacceptable.”

Here’s the link to your Senators: senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Because this isn’t just a policy fight. It’s a fight for reality itself.