A new pro-artificial intelligence industry political lobbying organization is preparing to intervene heavily in this year's U.S. congressional midterm elections, planning to invest more than $100 million. It is seen as the latest wave of political offensive driven by "financiers" to promote the deregulation agenda. This trend highlights that the game surrounding the tightness of AI regulation is quickly becoming one of the important battlefields in American electoral politics.
The organization is called "Innovation Council Action" and has the support and endorsement of technology giant and Trump artificial intelligence adviser David Sacks. Unlike other pan-sector pro-industry groups, this one is more focused, with its primary goal being to serve and reinforce the policy priorities of current President Trump.
The reason why this trend is important is that the AI industry lobbying power is accelerating to become a "heavyweight player" in the 2026 elections. On the one hand, these political action organizations provide financial support to political allies who advocate loosening regulations and support the "deregulation" path. On the other hand, they are also prepared to launch "punitive" political actions against critics who advocate tightening rules and promote stricter AI regulation.
From a broader policy background, Trump has always advocated the establishment of national unified AI regulatory standards, rather than having individual states formulate regulations. He also pushed to accelerate the construction of AI-related infrastructure, such as data centers, in order to allow the United States to maintain and expand its leading position over China in the global AI competition.
Innovation Council Action is led by Taylor Budowich, a former deputy chief of staff in the Trump White House. Budovich previously headed the pro-Trump super PAC "MAGA Inc." and "Securing American Greatness" and other political organizations, and held senior positions in Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. He can be described as a "veteran in Trump's political circle."
Because the organization operates as a non-profit organization, it does not need to disclose the identity of its funders according to U.S. campaign finance regulations, so it is classified as a typical "dark money" organization in the campaign field. This means that it is difficult for the outside world to know from public channels which financial backers provided more than US$100 million in ammunition.
David Sachs, a key figure in "Trump World," spoke highly of the organization. He served as the "AI czar" of the White House in the first year of Trump's term. He had an important influence in formulating government science and technology policies and continued to participate in shaping relevant policy trends. "The Innovation Council will play a critical role in advancing the innovation agenda championed by President Trump and his administration, and we welcome its support at this important time," Sachs told Axios in an interview.
This is not the only political action group currently working on AI in American politics. Leading the Future, for example, has publicly disclosed raising $50 million, and its list of donors includes prominent Silicon Valley figures such as tech executives Greg Brockman, Joe Lonsdale and Marc Andreessen. Meta, on the other hand, has launched a pro-AI super PAC that is expected to spend about $65 million during this year’s midterm elections, focusing on state-level elections.
While the momentum in front of the stage continues to grow, "Innovation Council Action" is also quietly making arrangements behind the scenes. The organization has opened an office in Washington, D.C., and has been raising funds quietly since late last year. It also produced an internal "score card" to evaluate the positions and performance of elected officials at all levels in supporting Trump's AI agenda to decide who to support or oppose in the election.
It can be seen from these trends that with the intensive entry of pro-AI donors and political action organizations, artificial intelligence regulation and development routes are no longer just topics for professional policy discussions, but are moving towards one of the central stages of electoral politics in 2026.