From Congress to the White House: Washington’s Interest in AI Policy Surges
In recent months, federal lawmakers have intensified their efforts on AI policy, setting the stage for an active and transformative year in federal AI policy development.
Among a flurry of activity this past fall, the Trump Administration released an Executive Order (EO), Genesis Mission to Accelerate AI for Scientific Discovery in November 2025. The Mission’s central goal is to establish the American Science and Security Platform—a federal testbed for researchers studying AI’s impact across multiple sectors of the U.S. economy. Although the Mission does not focus solely on the field of medicine, it will impact the health care industry by creating a robust federal AI scientific infrastructure.
Shortly after the release of the Genesis Mission EO, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched its AI Strategy. The Strategy’s primary goal is to develop the “OneHHS Commons” to aggregate data from various departments—including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—into one system used to evaluate and validate various AI tools within HHS.
Additional priorities include providing upskilling and training for the biomedical workforce to effectively use AI, focus on outcome-driven approaches to AI implementation in health care settings and to embed the principles of the Administration’s gold standard science into AI development and deployment. RSNA is committed to driving national standards for AI governance, interoperability, workforce training, research quality and clinical AI deployment as HHS implements this strategy.
Closing out the year, the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy at HHS released a Request for Information on Accelerating the Adoption and Use of Artificial Intelligence as Part of Clinical Care and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Deregulatory Actions To Unleash Prosperity. RSNA eagerly anticipates the opportunity to submit formal comments on both agency actions, ensuring that the perspectives and expertise of the radiology community are clearly represented as HHS develops these AI regulatory frameworks.
Not to be overshadowed by the actions of the Executive Branch, Congress has also taken significant steps to address AI policy issues. Recently, congressional leaders have ramped up their efforts, introducing new commissions and frameworks aimed at shaping the future of AI governance, research and regulation. These legislative initiatives reflect a bipartisan commitment to ensuring that AI policy keeps pace with rapid technological advancements, with a particular focus on sectors such as health care and medical technology.
In December, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced the development of the new House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy. Congressional AI leaders including Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) remain active in shaping federal AI policy frameworks that will impact the environment for research and regulation for AI-enabled medical technology. Indeed, less than two weeks into being back in session for 2026, Congress held several hearings related to AI, its impact on workforce and a hearing on the Administration’s implementation of its AI Action Plan. Building on this momentum, Rep. Lieu and Rep. Pablo Hernández (D-PR) released the AI in Health Care Efficiency and Study Act, which would require the HHS to conduct a study to determine the best used cases for AI’s application across the health care industry. This level of activity sets a strong tone for the year ahead and opens the door for sector specific AI frameworks that directly impact radiology.
