Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) single-handedly blocked a bill letting people sue over AI-generated deepfakes Wednesday, reigniting a bitter, long-running rift with fellow Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) over how to regulate artificial intelligence.
According to Politico, Blackburn tried to fast-track her NO FAKES Act through unanimous consent, a procedure that skips a formal vote but lets any single senator kill it just by objecting in person. Cruz showed up to do exactly that, arguing the bill wasn't ready given free speech concerns, including whether AI-generated images and videos like those Trump regularly shares on social media, or satirical content from sites like The Onion, could end up running afoul of the law.
"Our bill would establish clear guardrails that protect our creators in Tennessee and across the entire country, in addition to establishing a federal intellectual property right in every American's voice and visual likeness," Blackburn said in a floor speech defending the legislation.
Blackburn insisted the bill wouldn't threaten free speech at all, framing it instead as a tool against online scams that would clearly be illegal if carried out offline. Cruz wasn't moved.
"I am happy to work with you," Cruz told Blackburn on the floor. "But at least as of now, I object."
The clash is the latest chapter in a feud stretching back to the collapse of a five-year deal blocking states from writing their own AI regulations during last year's negotiations over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Cruz did vote for the NO FAKES Act in committee over the summer, but reportedly failed to help broker a larger agreement folding it into a broader package addressing AI preemption and children's online safety. He also undercut Blackburn directly in an Oval Office meeting with Trump over the summer, telling the president the broader package had no realistic path through the Senate.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a co-sponsor of the bill, argued it had already cleared every hurdle a piece of legislation typically needs. "This is the most baked, ready-to-go AI-related bill there is," he said. "We've done hearings, we've done technical assistance, we've done markups. It's broadly bipartisan."
Cruz, who separately blocked a different AI safety bill from advancing by unanimous consent on Tuesday, pointed to his own legislation criminalizing the nonconsensual publication of sexually explicit images, real or AI-generated, as the only major AI-related bill to actually become law so far in the current Congress.