House Republicans block Democratic effort to subpoena Elon Musk over DOGE’s access to government data; Trump administration requests input on AI ‘action plan’

House Republicans on Wednesday temporarily blocked Democratic efforts to subpoena Elon Musk, turning back an attempt to bring the tech billionaire before Congress to answer questions about what his Department of Government Efficiency delegates are doing in federal agency computer systems. During a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the size of the federal government, ranking member Gerry Connolly, D-Va., moved to subpoena Musk to face the committee as a witness at the “earliest possible moment.” Connolly’s Democratic colleagues supported the motion, but lost out to Republicans, tabling the motion. Democratic calls to hear from Musk follow the ongoing DOGE-led shutdown of USAID, the alleged sidestepping of federal law at the Office of Personnel Management via an email server, and the granting of systems access at the Treasury Department to DOGE workers.

The Trump administration has requested input from the public as it seeks to develop its own path forward on artificial intelligence policy. A Federal Register post for public inspection Wednesday requests feedback on the AI “action plan” that President Donald Trump directed under his Jan. 23 executive order on the technology. That order directed agencies to review AI actions taken under Joe Biden’s executive order on AI, which Trump rescinded on his first day in office, and said the country’s policy on the technology is “to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” It also set a 180-day timeline for a new action plan that’s in line with that policy to be delivered to the president.

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