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# Luján Calls for Bipartisan Senate Select Committee on AI
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/lujan-calls-for-bipartisan-senate-select-committee-on-ai/
- Published: 2026-09-29T20:50:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-29T21:47:03.000Z
- Description: The N.M. Senator says Congress needs a dedicated panel to coordinate AI policy
- Author: Kate Keith
- Tags: AI, #with-siderail, Ben Ray Luján, Donald Trump, John Thune, Chuck Schumer, Ruben Gallego, Chris Van Hollen

WASHINGTON Sept. 29,2026 – Congress, an institution that dates to the founding of the republic, is struggling to keep pace with an artificial intelligence revolution that is moving faster than its laws and oversight structures, according to one Senate Democrat.

Sen. **Ben Ray Luján**, D-N.M., is calling for a bipartisan Senate Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, saying Congress needs a dedicated institution to keep pace with the rapidly advancing technology.

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Luján made the request[ in a Sept. 24 letter ](https://www.lujan.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026.09.10-Letter-To-Senate-Leads-on-Select-Committee-on-AI%5Fsigned.pdf?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com)to Senate Majority Leader **John Thune**, R-S.D., and Democratic Leader **Chuck Schumer**, D-N.Y. He said AI is advancing faster than [Congress’ existing committee structure ](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/trump-to-create-ai-force-name-ai-czar/)and technical expertise can consistently evaluate.

The Senate already handles AI issues through existing committees, including the Commerce Committee and Intelligence Committee. The proposed select committee would be intended to coordinate those efforts rather than replace them.

“A bipartisan Select Committee on AI would complement, not displace, the work of existing committees,” Luján wrote. The committee would develop policy recommendations, hold hearings and coordinate AI-related work across the Senate.

Luján pointed to recent incidents involving AI systems as evidence that Congress needs to strengthen its oversight capacity. He cited July cybersecurity evaluations in which AI agents gained unauthorized access to external systems and testing by the United Kingdom’s AI Security Institute in which frontier models took unsanctioned actions involving real people and organizations.

He also cited warnings from[ AI researchers and developers about potential risks](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/anthropic-and-openai-sound-the-alarm-on-ai-safety-and-seek-to-shape-its-control/) from increasingly capable systems. Luján said those warnings should receive “full attention and serious examination,” while cautioning that [Congress should not assume that every prediction about AI will prove correct](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/a-looming-tokenocracy-threatens-regulators-ability-to-govern-ai/).

The senator said AI policy crosses the jurisdiction of numerous congressional committees, including those overseeing national security, cybersecurity, biotechnology, energy, communications, financial markets and workforce development.

“The challenge is not a lack of congressional interest,” Luján wrote. Instead, he said AI “does not fit neatly within a single policy lane.”

Luján said congressional task forces, caucuses and working groups have helped lawmakers learn about AI but cannot replace a standing institution with the ability to develop expertise, conduct sustained oversight and produce bipartisan legislation.

The proposal follows [a similar request from Sen. **Ruben Gallego**, D-Ariz.](https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-urges-senate-leadership-to-establish-bipartisan-senate-select-committee-on-artificial-intelligence/?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com), who on Sept. 9, 2026 asked Thune and Schumer to establish a bipartisan AI select committee beginning with the next Congress.

Luján has also [joined other Democratic senators](https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-urges-senate-leadership-to-establish-bipartisan-senate-select-committee-on-artificial-intelligence/?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com) in calling for international cooperation on AI safeguards. On Sept. 23, 2026 Luján and Sen. **Chris Van Hollen**, D-Md., urged President **Donald Trump** to negotiate with China on standards for the development, testing and use of frontier AI models.

Luján asked Thune and Schumer for prompt consideration of his request. His letter did not specify proposed membership or a detailed jurisdiction for the committee.