NFHA Denounces Harmful White House Order Attacking State Protections from AI Harms  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NFHA Denounces Harmful White House Order Attacking State Protections from AI Harms  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) strongly opposes the White House executive order attacking state-level regulations that protect people living in the U.S. from harms of artificial intelligence (AI). As AI permeates critically important decisions affecting people’s ability to access apartment rentals, search for homes, and obtain mortgages, this action by the administration would worsen the fair and affordable housing crisis at a time when voters are demanding increased affordability.

Among other things, this executive order would require the U.S. Department of Justice to form an “AI Litigation Task Force” whose sole responsibility would be to challenge state AI laws. Several state governments have stepped in where the federal government has failed to act—embedding principles of human oversight, fairness, explainability, and accountability. Attacking these state laws will weaken efforts to develop AI responsibly. Once again, the Trump Administration is directing resources away from solving the fair and affordable housing crisis and instead attempting to deny U.S. residents of established state protections.  

“NFHA strongly urges the administration to heed the bipartisan voices in Congress loudly opposing the preemption of state AI laws,” said Nikitra Bailey, Executive Vice President of NFHA. “We believe that state and local authorities have a critical role to play, especially because many tailored AI policies have already emerged from states to protect their citizens. Federal actions must not weaken these efforts. State-level systems serve as essential laboratories for advancing solutions that ensure all people in America flourish from technological advancements.” 

NFHA and a coalition of 33 civil rights organizations recently submitted a comment letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to reaffirm important civil rights protections as it shapes the nation’s approach to artificial intelligence in America’s AI Action Plan.   

This order punishes states seeking to protect their residents from the potential harms of AI by taking away funding for critical broadband internet service. This amounts to a shakedown that robs everyday people and rewards Big Tech firms who want to escape accountability for technologies that harm our society. This is not the American way. We all should be held accountable for our actions and that includes corporations building the technologies that impact so many facets of our lives. 

The impacts of this executive order are far reaching in the housing sector. The order would restrain states from using fair housing laws to protect residents. Given that Congress has failed to pass a comprehensive AI bill and this administration has gutted the ability of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to enforce fair housing and consumer protection laws, people will be left without protections against biased or harmful AI systems. Communities would be left without recourse as AI data centers jeopardize access to clean water and affordable electricity. 

This executive order to stop states from protecting their citizens from the harmful effects of unregulated AI mirrors the Trump Administration’s earlier failed attempt to compel Congress to implement a moratorium on states’ ability to pass AI legislation. That previous effort was resoundingly rejected in the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan vote of 99-1. The measure failed in multiple attempts to insert it into the National Defense Authorization Act and was strongly opposed by a bipartisan coalition of 40 state attorneys general. 

“We strongly urge the administration to reverse course on this dangerous action,” said Bailey. “AI must benefit all of humanity, not just big tech companies and investors preying on people for profit.” 

For interviews, please e-mail NFHA Senior Advisor for Communications, Marketing, and Education Julian Glover at JGlover@NationalFairHousing.org 

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The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is the country’s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. As the trade association for over 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations and individuals throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities.