Another key Republican senator has pulled support from President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative package, the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, further endangering its passage ahead of Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced she can no longer support the bill after negotiations over artificial intelligence (AI) regulations fell apart.
Blackburn, a vocal advocate for tighter online safety measures, cited the legislation’s failure to protect vulnerable groups. “This provision could allow Big Tech companies to continue to exploit kids, creators, and conservatives,” Blackburn said in a statement posted on X. “Until Congress passes federally preemptive legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act and an online privacy framework, we can’t block states from passing laws that protect their citizens.”
Blackburn’s support had depended on language that would preserve states’ rights to regulate AI technologies. An earlier draft of the bill proposed a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI laws. However, that provision was rewritten by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) after the Senate Parliamentarian ruled it violated the Byrd Rule, which restricts non-budgetary items in reconciliation bills.
The revised version theoretically allows states to keep regulating AI, but penalizes them by potentially stripping federal broadband funding. For Blackburn, that compromise didn’t go far enough. “The legislation is not acceptable to those who need protections the most,” she emphasized.
Politico reported, Her withdrawal comes at a precarious moment for the megabill. With GOP Senators like Rand Paul (R-KY) already opposed, Republicans can afford to lose only two more votes to keep the bill viable in the Senate.
The timing of Blackburn’s reversal was particularly striking. Just 24 hours prior, she and Cruz had claimed to reach a deal on the AI provisions. That agreement reportedly included halving the moratorium to five years and incorporating new online protections. However, the final language apparently failed to meet Blackburn’s standards.
Blackburn’s exit from the bill’s supporters underscores the challenges the GOP faces in balancing federal oversight, technological innovation, and states’ rights. As negotiations continue, the fate of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act hangs in the balance, with only days left before Trump’s July 4 deadline.
With Senate Republicans now walking a tightrope, further defections could mean the collapse of one of Trump’s most ambitious legislative efforts to date.