WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 22, 2025 – The AI Competition Center (AICC), a project through INCOMPAS, the internet and competitive networks association, released the following statement in response to the House of Representatives vote providing funding to the Department of Commerce to optimize government systems through the targeted deployment artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The following statement can be attributed to Chip Pickering, CEO at INCOMPAS:
The AI Competition Center from INCOMPAS commends the House of Representatives on the passage of the Reconciliation package that includes a critical provision that will empower a federal, all-of-government approach for the most transformational technology of our lifetime: AI.
We are grateful to House Leadership, Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Guthrie, and Congressman Obernolte for their boldness of vision, foresight, and stewardship of this historic sector.
Here are four important benefits of this proposal:
1) The AI sector is progressing at an incredible pace, powered by the trifecta of consumer demand, geopolitical need, and economic opportunity. If the government does not have in place a clear national strategy to harness its power for public service delivery — and to generate meaningful efficiency for the American people — this gap will become ever more stark and meaningful, and risks ceding our technological leadership. This gap must be closed. The federal process — including the Department of Commerce budgetary allocation and adoption — is the best way to do that.
2) While the length of time of the proposed moratorium has been a central focus of recent reporting, we must also consider the fact that Congress — and the Trump Administration — need time to investigate, publish their findings, and agree on a federal strategy; one that harnesses energy, education, investment, national security, workforce development, and access. At AICC, we published a national framework to inform this conversation and we will be advocating on a bipartisan basis with these foundational policies as our north star as the political process evolves.
3) A patchwork of state frameworks does not serve anyone. If the states are the laboratories of democracy, the federal government is the underwriter, particularly on matters of national and international significance. Relentless state activity does not unlock the founder who dreams of building an AI-powered healthcare product to level the playing field. It does not help the renewable energy market disruptor that knows that data center expansion requires an all-of-the-above energy strategy. It does not help educators trying to learn and adopt best practices from our leading academic institutions. It does not help the farmer deploying AI to predict crop yields and engage in multistate commerce. Finally, it certainly does not help the American people who look to their national government to set enduring public policy for seismic moments that will have a transformational and lasting impact on their lives.
4) Lastly, AI cannot survive without American energy — and lots of it. This is an opportunity to holistically revitalize our energy mix, to make it more resilient and secure at the grid level, and to diversify our sources — and deliver for the long term. Today’s passage in the House also contains critical provisions that overhaul our permitting system to make it fit-for-purpose for the speed and scale we are going to need to compete, drive prices down, and revolutionize how we deliver power for the next American century.
Our bench of members is broad and deep: The AI Competition Center from INCOMPAS is the only national body that represents the full AI stack. From cutting edge start-ups and energy builders to data center providers and large consumer companies, the guidance is clear: let’s get this right. And let’s empower our lawmakers to set out a national strategy that is coherent, consistent, and ambitious. At the AI Competition Center, we will continue to be engaged — constructively and substantively — as things progress to the Senate.
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