WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks at the 5th annual Hill and Valley Forum to discuss the House’s commitment to unleashing the full potential of American Artificial Intelligence.
“We have to move at the speed that victory demands. Inaction is unacceptable. And while the window for American AI leadership is open, it will not stay open indefinitely,” Speaker Johnson said. “As the Speaker of the House and ultimately somebody who’s going to help spearhead this effort in Congress, this is our commitment in a simple summary: simplify and streamline where we can, regulate only where we must, and pave the way for American dominance.”
Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.
Read Speaker Johnson’s remarks below:
It’s really great to be back to Hill and Valley, and I want to thank the visionaries who had the idea of this, the whole team for making this the powerhouse gathering that it is. We look forward to it. It’s an honor. It’s my great honor to share this stage with so many leaders and visionaries in American technology over the years. Hill and Valley has been a real catalyst, as you know, for bridging the divide between government and industry. And it’s never been more important than it is right now, especially as AI demands more and more of our focus and our attention.
As you know, when this conference began, AI was just becoming a part of the mainstream consciousness on the Hill. We were starting to understand what this meant for our constituents and our public policy in the future of our country.
In just a few years, our national conversation has shifted dramatically from evaluating and exploring the potential of AI to establishing the foundation of a now widespread AI use and what that foundation will rest upon. The Trump Administration has really done an excellent job, and I think you all recognize that bringing AI to the forefront of our national discourse and debate. Of course, the brain trust of so much of that and the Administration is David Sacks and Michael Kratsios, a truly unmatched team, and we thank them for their service. But there’s a lot of members in the Cabinet and in the Administration who are deeply involved and concerned and really cheering this along. And certainly that’s true in the House.
When President Trump took office, he gave us all the monumental task. He said: we have to make America the world leader in artificial intelligence. He compared this competition to the dawn of the Space Age and that fateful era in American history. And just as back then the challenge of this generation will require a reinvigoration of American science and technology. We have to do that if we’re going to harness its highest and most noble ends here in Congress.
We want to ensure American AI is the gold standard of the future, and we intend to do that. America will win the AI race. We will win it if two things happen, if government resists the siren song of control and if industry steps up as our patriotic partner. I think we can do both of those things today.
I wanted to just speak very briefly about what Congress is delivering on this front, on our commitment to unleash the full potential of American AI, and of course how we can do better for the future.
Since, taking back the White House in Congress, Republicans got right to work. The voters gave us unified government—the White House, the Senate, and the House in our party—and Republicans got to work to restore common sense in every area of public policy. Immediately upon taking office, President Trump made great strides to reestablish American energy dominance and unleash our full potential.
We all know the amount of energy required to power all these data centers and meet our national demands is truly enormous. True dominance will require a comprehensive and coherent approach, and we’re keenly aware of that. That means unleashing natural gas and oil and nuclear and coal and reversing the green energy failures of the last administration. We also need to further streamline permitting and cut back red tape, all that had choked off nearly all energy and industrial development for far too long. And we’ve been doing that and we have much more yet to do.
Real progress has been made, and chief among our accomplishments is the Big Beautiful Bill, the Working Families Tax Cut. As you know, with this legislation, Republicans enacted the largest tax cuts in US history, and we also infused the legislation with so many pro-growth policies that will help job creators and entrepreneurs and innovators in this room, the people in this room, are going to benefit greatly from full expensing for domestic R&D and new capital investment, removing friction that has slowed the build out of America’s AI infrastructure.
We’re also working to ensure the best of American technology actually reaches America’s warfighters. The reality is that commercial innovation moves far faster than government’s procurement cycle, and we all know that. And that’s why more than ever before, we’re prioritizing the agility and the adaptability of our national defense. This year’s NDAA reflects that commitment with new rules that ensure our investments in defense reach the builders and innovators in this room at a speed commensurate with the very real threats that we face. It also expands our commitment to integrate AI across the military operations, logistics, mission critical applications. We’ll all see more adoption across the spectrum, and we know that’s very important for the future.
And finally, Congress and the White House have been working together to deliver commonsense, pro-innovation framework for AI. And this moment of strategic significance, I believe three things are required from Congress and maybe you’ll agree. The first thing is we have to deliver a single national framework that protects children, safeguards communities, supports creators, and avoids a patchwork of state regulations. We recognize that that constant shifts in policy don’t just confuse the market. They run contrary to our national interest; to succeed, you all need confidence that tomorrow’s rules are going to be coherent and consistent and follow common sense iterations of the rules that we establish today. And that’s why Congress will utilize existing structures to establish safeguards and rules of the road, so to speak, without smothering the whole marketplace with red tape.
Second thing that Congress needs to do, I believe it’s our duty to ensure our national security and wellbeing. And we know it’s possible to expand the American AI stack to friends and allies, while also ensuring it stays out of the hands of America’s adversaries and rivals.
And finally, the third thing is we have to move at the speed that victory demands. Inaction is unacceptable. And while the window for American AI leadership is open, it will not stay open indefinitely. As the Speaker of the House and ultimately somebody who’s going to help spearhead this effort in Congress, this is our commitment in a simple summary: simplify and streamline where we can, to regulate only where we must and pave the way for American dominance. In a nutshell, that’s our objective.
As Congress is prepared to hold up on our end of this bargain and to win the AI race and to support the new industrialization of America, this deal, of course, requires a second party. And that’s where all of you come in. America’s system of free enterprise guarantees every company in this room the right to allocate your resources as you see fit. And as Republicans, we believe that to our core. It’s a core principle. What we ask is that the choices you make advance America’s interest too, the country’s interest. We’ve seen what happens when American industry optimizes it’s the bottom line above all else. It’s ultimately self-defeating when an American company optimizes only for quarterly results. We’ve seen what can happen when we hinder America’s ability to build at home, when we cede rare earth processing, and we build supply chains dependent on adversarial nations.
So, all we’re asking is a very simple, simple request: build here. We’ll set the conditions to make that happen, and we hope that you’ll direct your investments that way. As President Trump himself has said very simply, we need American tech to be “all in for America.” The data centers, the chips, the infrastructure. We need it here on American soil employing American workers. And I know that’s all of your intent, your desire.
To that end, we’re asking you to invest in the American workforce. It’s a win-win win all the way around. And that means advancing technology that allows Americans to get their hands dirty, from ships and turbines to grid infrastructure and advancing manufacturing. Every company has a right to act in its own best interest, of course, but the most sustainable success reinvests in the country and the people which made that growth possible.
And finally, another request, or maybe the last one, is to keep American technology. American Congress is committed to giving you the tools to compete globally, and we trust that you’ll use those tools responsibly. That means utilizing the incentives we’ve implemented to rebuild the industrial bedrock of our nation. We can’t afford to fall into the same mistake of offshoring America’s future nor should we. Talent, capital and computing that sustained and strengthened here in America benefits our people. And it ensures the future is one that’s built with and on American technology. We’re asking you—our builders and innovators—to accept some minor constraints relative to competitors in foreign countries. But I’ve always believed that some minor friction from high standards is at the heart of operating in a nation that is built upon the highest principles. And ultimately, American AI and broader innovations have the power to make our country stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before. And we’re convinced that it will, but that’s only if we see America as more than just a financial vehicle and only if we pioneer as patriotic stewards of this incredible country.
I’ll just close with this thought about this anniversary that we’re celebrating this year. We’re, we’re celebrating the 250th anniversary, the birthday of the greatest, most successful, most powerful, most free, most benevolent nation that has ever been in the history of the world. It’s an exciting time to be alive, but I’m not surprised by some who are a little more pessimistic. Some Americans, as you know, feel a bit uneasy about all this. They feel uneager to embrace the future. Trust is built over time and it’s forged through commitments. I love what President Trump is doing with the Ratepayer Protection Pledge and his roadmap for AI. And through your companies demonstrating responsible good faith stewardship. That’s how trust is built with the people.
To some people this may seem impossible, but it in all of history, complacency and fear have always been America’s only limitations. We think of times in the past, like when President Kennedy endeavored to put a man on the moon. He didn’t say: we’re going to study the feasibility of lunar travel. He said: we choose to go to the moon. The finish line was our choice, and by the end of the decade, we sprinted across it. Other American feats of science and engineering have started similarly with Americans who dared to lift their sights higher. The Wright brothers persisted even as our own government was funding their competitor. The French declared the Panama Canal an impossible feat, but we built it in a decade. And the American founding itself was an act of irrational confidence that began with a bold declaration of self-evident truths. In each case, America’s superior conviction in our faith, in God’s providence, and in our exceptionalism won the day.
So today, usher in America’s Golden Age means understanding that if we don’t maintain the patriotism and the mindset that made us this extraordinary exceptional nation, then we won’t be owed the future. So, this year, as we celebrate our semiquincentennial, let’s embrace the new challenges of our generation as we chart the course for the ones who will follow us. I am absolutely convinced that we are all going to succeed in this mission together, and we’re excited to be partners in that endeavor. Thank you all for all you do, thank you for being in Washington, and thank you for this great honor. God bless you.
###