Peoria Standard

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Select Committee on China, has introduced the Advanced AI Security Readiness Act. The legislation is co-sponsored by Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (MI-02), Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), and Representative Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05). This bill tasks the National Security Agency (NSA) with developing an AI security playbook to protect American advanced technology from foreign threats.

"The Chinese Communist Party is aggressively targeting the United States’ advanced AI technology to undermine our national security," stated Rep. LaHood. "As AI becomes an integrated part of society, Congress must ensure that the United States fortifies our technology defenses and remains the undeniable leader. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Advanced AI Security Readiness Act to draw a clear line that we will not allow our foreign adversaries to steal, exploit, or weaponize American innovation."

Chairman Moolenaar emphasized, "It’s simple: the U.S. must win the AI race. AI is a strategic asset vital to America’s economic and national security, not just another tech trend—it has immense power, and we should treat it that way." He described this bill as beneficial for families, businesses, and communities by providing national security agencies with tools to defend against global malicious actors.

Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi noted that "Artificial intelligence is one of the most consequential technologies of our lifetime already," highlighting its potential impact on global power dynamics over decades. He stressed that this bipartisan legislation would enable the NSA to address vulnerabilities in U.S. AI infrastructure.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer added his support by saying, "We must put proper safeguards in place to defend our national security and ensure that our nation remains a leading force in innovation." As co-leader of this initiative with Congressman LaHood, he underlined its importance in protecting U.S. artificial intelligence technologies from espionage and theft.

The legislation responds to evidence suggesting that China's DeepSeek used illegal methods to extract insights from U.S. AI models for their technological advancement. The act directs NSA's AI Security Center to create strategies addressing vulnerabilities, threat detection, cyber and physical security strategies for sensitive systems.

The anticipated effects of this legislative measure include safeguarding U.S. innovations from espionage while maintaining defense capabilities; enhancing cybersecurity standards; identifying high-risk vulnerabilities; supporting secure development pathways; and bolstering national security through proactive threat mitigation efforts by targeting advanced systems.