OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Meets With Congressional Leaders and Trump Officials After AI Executive Order

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman traveled to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for a round of meetings with senior lawmakers and Trump administration officials, days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting artificial intelligence policy.

Altman met with members of the Trump administration at the White House, according to an OpenAI spokesperson. He also held separate meetings with Republican and Democratic members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., whose representatives confirmed the meetings.

Johnson told CNBC he had a "very good, productive meeting" with Altman, describing conversations about recent developments in AI and what a "light touch" regulatory framework would look like to "prevent some of the harms that could come from it."

Trump signed the executive order on Tuesday, asking AI companies to voluntarily provide the government access to their models for up to 30 days before release. The order contains limited specifics, but executives from several leading AI companies, including Altman, publicly voiced support for it on social media.

"The U.S. should lead on AI by continuing to develop the very best models, making sure they're safe, and getting cyber tools into the hands of trusted defenders," Altman wrote on X. "The new EO gets the balance right."

Separately, OpenAI released a policy blueprint on Wednesday outlining several recommendations for a national AI safety framework. The company called on the U.S. government to strengthen the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, build on safety consensus emerging from state-level regulations, and establish a broader resilience plan to address public safety and national security challenges.

The Capitol Hill visit follows a Monday blog post from OpenAI titled "Our views on AI policy and political advocacy," in which the company stated it has not donated to any candidates or campaigns. OpenAI also said it has not established employee-funded political action committees or funded existing PACs to shape public discourse around AI, pledging to continue advocating for policy "transparently" and in its own name.

"We support thoughtful regulation, rigorous testing of powerful AI systems, strong safety standards, public accountability, and broad access to AI's benefits," the company said.

Altman has been a recurring presence on Capitol Hill since OpenAI launched its ChatGPT chatbot in 2022. He met with lawmakers in March after OpenAI signed a deal with the Pentagon, and he attended Trump's inauguration last year, underscoring the company's sustained effort to maintain relationships across branches of government.

Wednesday's meetings come as Washington accelerates its efforts to define a federal posture on AI regulation, with the executive order and OpenAI's concurrent policy push signaling that the broad outlines of a national framework may be taking shape — even as the specifics remain a subject of active negotiation between industry and government.