Hawley pushes for faster FEMA aid, accountability for AI chatbots
WASHINGTON - In recent days, Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has been pushing for faster FEMA assistance to St. Louis tornado-struck areas, along with legislation to hold AI companies accountable for chatbots.
On Tuesday, Hawley sent a latter to FEMA acting director David Richardson over reported delays in the distribution of federal aid following the May 16 St. Louis tornado. He requested specifics such on the monetary assistance, services and recovery efforts, giving FEMA a deadline of Oct. 6 to respond.
"They really need to get on with this. This is just dragging on forever," said Hawley in a one-on-one interview with FOX 2 on Wednesday. "FEMA is just consistently a problem I have to say, We've seen this when we've had flooding in Missouri. We've seen it with other tornadoes. we're seeing it now in St. Louis. They just can't get their act together. And right now, it's really, really hurting us."
Hawley claimed there are FEMA delays in handing out payments and cleaning up debris from the tornado. "I want to get the answers here, and I want to get them doing their job so the people of St. Louis can get the relief they need," he said.
Also on Tuesday, Hawley (R) joined forces with Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D) to introduce the Aligning Incentives for Leadership, Excellence, and Advancement in Development (AI LEAD) Act. This legislation would classify AI systems as products, allowing liability claims when an AI system causes harm.
The bill aims to incentivize companies to design AI systems safely rather than rushing them to market, also holding developers accountable for potentially harmful content generated by chatbots.
"If you have a chatbot, for instance, that tells your kid how to commit suicide, you can sue the company for doing that," said Hawley. "I've heard from parents all over the country about what these chatbots are telling our kids. They're introducing them to explicit sexual content. they're asking them, 'Have you ever considered cutting yourself?' ... These companies that engage in this egregious behavior, you ought to be able to sue them, just like you can sue any other company in America. It's time to hold them accountable."
The AI LEAD Act is currently awaiting action on the Senate Floor.
