Arts, Entertainment, and Media Unions Applaud Exclusion of AI Moratorium from FY 2026 NDAA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org
WASHINGTON, December 8, 2025 - Over the weekend House and Senate leaders released a compromise Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) without language prohibiting states from implementing and enforcing their own AI laws.
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industries (AEMI) unions within the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO released the following statement applauding the decision not to pursue the moratorium:
“The members of our unions know firsthand both the promise and risks of emerging AI technologies. For this reason, we support common sense policy guardrails at the state and federal levels.
Today, state laws protect creative professionals and union journalists from harmful AI deepfakes, provide important transparency, and reduce the risk of discrimination and bias in AI. Blocking these important protections will put our members in harm’s way because the same federal guardrails currently do not exist.
We support federal legislation that will protect people across state lines and establish predictability and uniformity for stakeholders. Stopping states from passing and enforcing AI safety laws before Congress acts is an invitation for lawlessness that directly threatens our members and their economic livelihoods.
We thank the members of the U.S. House and Senate who pushed back against misguided attempts to place moratoriums on state AI laws in the NDAA and other legislation, and we urge the Administration to reconsider similar attempts to limit the rights of state governments to protect their constituents.”
The AEMI unions include:
Actors’ Equity Association (Equity)
American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA)
American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA)
Directors Guild of America (DGA)
Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA)
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts (IATSE)
Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU)
Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
Writers Guild of America East (WGAE)
About DPE
The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.