Mark Kelly

“Artificial intelligence brings serious dangers to jobs and safety, but the White House and leaders in Congress are ignoring the warnings. We cannot trust tech companies to regulate themselves. I am introducing a bill to set rules for artificial intelligence and make tech companies pay to train and support workers who lose their jobs to this technology. Congress must act on this now.”

“Mr. President, I happen to be the last person to sit in the commander’s seat of Space Shuttle Endeavour. It is hard to describe how it feels to be strapped to 4\1/2\ million pounds of fuel, waiting for three main engines and two solid rocket boosters to ignite underneath you. It gives you clarity because flying that thing--it is not one dangerous moment. It is continuous. There is always a catastrophic failure lurking around every corner. And when things go sideways on you and you are troubleshooting a cooling issue while managing an electrical failure, while mission control is telling you something that contradicts your instruments, it requires that you are keenly aware of what is happening. You figure out how to separate the signal from the noise. So you pay attention to the data, and you do your very best to understand what is happening with a very complicated machine. You ignore the noise, you evaluate the numbers, and you work the problem. And you listen when the alarms are telling you something isn’t right. These last few weeks--as engineers, researchers, and CEOs have all been shouting about AI becoming a threat to humanity’s very survival--I feel like I am back in that seat with the master alarm blaring and systems failing. And nobody is steering the ship. While the people inside the industry discuss catastrophic damage and the chance that AI ``will kill us all by the end of the decade,’’ the White House is actively lobbying against regulation. Our President calls Americans’ fears a ``hoax’’ and a ``SICK conspiracy.’’ He says that we don’t need new guardrails, and Speaker Johnson says that Congress isn’t qualified to make them. Instead, he wants a summit-- someday--but, in the meantime, we will revisit it after a 7-week recess. When the master alarm is flashing, you don’t write a strongly worded letter. You don’t form a committee. You definitely don’t leave your post for a 7-week vacation. And you don’t make some ridiculous comment, like what the President did, that we will have a--I think he said a little ``gear’’ that will fix everything. What does that even mean? So here is what you do: You act. You step up, and you be the leader that the crew needs. You make smart decisions based on real data. I am not saying this isn’t complicated. The United States has been-- and has to be--at the forefront of technology, as we have been for generations. AI is important to our national security, and it is important to a thriving economy, and we need to find a path forward that protects Americans and our national interests. I am also not saying we abandon innovation. AI could unlock benefits for the American people, from curing diseases to solving big engineering problems that unlock new industries and new jobs. But we can’t expect corporations to help us out of the goodness of their hearts. That is why I am introducing the Make AI Work for Americans Act, to make sure workers aren’t left behind and that Big Tech pays their fair share. These companies are getting rich off of a technology trained on the wealth of humanity’s research, knowledge, and work--our ideas and discoveries. My bill would require them to give some of that wealth back to us by investing in the American worker through an AI Horizon Fund. The fund would use the money we make from holding the tech industry accountable and invest it in training workers, paid service-to-career opportunities, and support for those whose jobs just disappear. It will ensure Americans are prepared and have a choice about what their future looks like--and what it looks like in the next generation of the economy. We don’t have to choose between leading on innovation and protecting workers. We can do both. That doesn’t mean it will be easy. Our country is polarized. Those of us in the Senate don’t agree on a lot of things, just like the Americans we represent have different perspectives and positions. But they agree on this: 80 percent of Americans want us to step in and regulate AI--80 percent. I hear it from Arizonans every day. They are worried. They wake up wondering if today is the day their job just gets automated away, wondering if their kids are going to have careers in the future--or have a future at all. Americans across the spectrum want us to step in--Republicans, Democrats, Independents, all of them. The tech industry itself, communities worried about data centers, families who just want to be able to sleep at night--all of those groups would like regulation. It seems that the only people who don’t want guardrails happen to be working in the White House. So what is the holdup? A lot of folks seem to have forgotten what Congress is for. They seem to have lost faith that we can do hard things. Well, let me remind you: When our financial system was collapsing in 1933 and F.D.R. asked for help, Congress passed the Emergency Banking Relief Act, and it did it in 1 day. The International Atomic Energy Agency, or the IAEA--the U.N. body that helps prevent the spread of nuclear weapons--was started right here in the United States, made possible by Congress. The Civil Rights Act, which reversed decades of racial disenfranchisement, was passed in just a few months, once Congress finally began listening to those fighting for justice. It is not a question of if we have the power to do big and hard things. It is if we have the courage. So to those in Washington who think Congress can’t or shouldn’t take on this problem, let me ask you: Why are you here? This is the job. We weren’t elected to just raise money or to trade stocks or to rubberstamp a President’s agenda. We were elected to make people’s lives better, and that is what leaders do. If we act now on AI, we can avoid a catastrophe and shape a future with more opportunity, with more security, with more of the things we want and need. The alarms are sounding. The signals are clear. And nobody else is coming to the rescue. It has to be us. So let’s be the leaders that this country elected. Let’s get this done now. And as we say in the U.S. Navy, don’t give up the ship. I yield the floor.”

“I am honoring the Buffalo Soldiers on the anniversary of their founding. These Black soldiers served our country bravely in many wars and helped build the West, even while facing racism and segregation.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 160th anniversary of the Buffalo Soldier regiments and to honor the extraordinary legacy of service, courage, and sacrifice of the Black soldiers who helped shape the U.S. Army and our Nation. On July 28, 1866, Congress authorized the creation of six all-Black Army regiments as part of the Army’s post-Civil War reorganization. These units--the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry Regiments, later consolidated into the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments--became known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Today, July 28, is observed as Buffalo Soldiers Day. For nearly nine decades, the Buffalo Soldiers served with distinction despite enduring discrimination and segregation within the very military and country they swore to defend. They fought in the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the Mexican Expedition, World Wars I and II, and the Korean war. Beyond combat, they built roads and telegraph lines, escorted mail and wagon trains, protected communities across the American West, and served as some of our Nation’s first park rangers in Yosemite, Sequoia, and General Grant National Parks, where they fought wildfires and protected America’s public lands. Their exemplary service helped lay the foundation for a more inclusive Armed Forces. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, beginning the desegregation of the Armed Forces and marking a pivotal step toward equality in military service. For Arizona, this history carries special significance. Fort Huachuca served as a home station for the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments. The 10th Cavalry became the post’s garrison regiment in 1913, participated in General John J. Pershing’s Mexican Expedition, guarded the southern border during World War I, and served in and around Nogales, where the regiment maintained a squadron-sized camp and patrolled the surrounding border region. The 25th Infantry Regiment later assumed the garrison mission. During World War II, more than 30,000 Black soldiers passed through Fort Huachuca before deploying in service to our Nation. Their service is woven into Arizona’s history and remains a lasting source of pride for our State. As a Navy combat veteran, I know the strength of our military has always come from those willing to serve. The Buffalo Soldiers proved that through decades of dedicated service under some of the most difficult circumstances. Their story reminds us that some of the Americans who sacrificed the most for our country were too often denied the very freedoms and opportunities they fought to defend. Honoring their service means recognizing both their extraordinary military accomplishments and the barriers they overcame in service to our Nation. I also recognize the descendants, veterans, historians, educators, and community leaders who continue preserving and sharing this important history so that future generations understand the lasting contributions of the Buffalo Soldiers. On this 160th anniversary, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Buffalo Soldiers, remembering their sacrifices, and celebrating their enduring impact on our military and our Nation.”