Cybersecurity Policy Report, AI Security Threats Prompt Bipartisan Legislative Push in House, (Sep 21, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Fairleigh Dickinson University
Two bipartisan House bills that would require pre-deployment security testing of AI (artificial intelligence) models and ban federal agencies’ use of Chinese AI systems were announced Friday by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.).
The American AI Security Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Lawler (D., N.Y.), would establish “a mandatory, pre-deployment national security review for the most powerful AI models,” Rep. Gottheimer said in a news release.
“Before releasing a covered model, developers would be required to give the National Security Agency full access to evaluate whether it could be used to launch a serious cyberattack or help build a chemical, biological, or radiological weapon. The review operates on a firm clock—30 days, with a single 30-day extension if needed—so it functions as a serious national security check rather than either a rubber stamp or endless bureaucracy,” he explained.
“Artificial intelligence is one of the most consequential technologies of our time, and we have a responsibility to make sure it strengthens our national security rather than becoming a tool for those who seek to harm Americans,” Rep. Lawler said.
“The American AI Security Act takes a commonsense approach: before the most powerful AI models are deployed, we should know whether they could be used to launch devastating cyberattacks or facilitate the development of chemical, biological, or radiological weapons,” he added.
Rep. Gottheimer’s second bill, the China FIREWALL Act, is co-sponsored by Rep. Nick LaLota (R., N.Y.). It would ban all Chinese-developed open-weight AI models from government-issued devices and prohibit federal agencies from procuring software that relies on those models.
The China FIREWALL Act would extend an existing ban on the use of DeepSeek, an “open-weight” AI model developed by China-based Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Basic Technology Research Co. Ltd. The No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act became law as part of the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.
“Right now, DeepSeek is blocked on most federal devices,” Rep. Gottheimer said during an appearance at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). “But here’s the problem: Other Chinese open-weight models, like Moonshot’s Kimi K3 and Alibaba’s Qwen, are still walking right through the front door of our federal agencies, and they can still buy software with these models baked in without anyone even knowing it.”
“If we can’t trust Beijing with our data, we shouldn’t allow our government to use their AI systems,” he said.
The text of the two bills wasn’t immediately available.
Reps. Gottheimer and Lawler previously introduced the Stop Rogue AI Act (HR 10362), which would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards for controlling AI agents. Federal agencies and their contractors would have to abide by those standards (CPR, Sept. 9).
Rep. Gottheimer told the audience at FDU that he planned to push Sean Cairncross, the White House national cyber director, to expand the Trump administration’s proposed AI security clearinghouse that was created under an executive order issued in June (CPR, June 2).
The clearinghouse is a good first step, but “it’s only built to catch known vulnerabilities. That is the stuff we already know to look for,” Rep. Gottheimer said. “It does nothing about what happens when you’ve got swarms of AI agents operating at machine speed, coordinating attacks faster than any human can respond.”
He complained about the indifferent response from House leadership to his bipartisan AI security bills. “And they sent us home from Washington without acting,” he added. “I think that’s a huge mistake—and, right now, every week matters for America’s safety.”
He called on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) “to bring us back before the election to pass AI safety legislation like the bills I’m proposing today.”
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