Warren, Sanders Urge Congress to Shield Workers From AI Cuts

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders urged Congress to create protections for workers, citing new data that employers attributed 38,579 US job cuts to AI in May and 87,714 year-to-date.

Warren wrote on X that lawmakers cannot wait years to measure layoffs and must act promptly to protect workers whose jobs are changing because of artificial intelligence.

Sanders blamed industry political spending for the slow response and called for restrictions on super PACs and tighter rules on campaign influence. He wrote: “Is Congress doing anything to help the millions of workers who could lose their jobs to AI and robotics? No. They’re intimidated by the hundreds of millions the AI industry is pouring into super PACs. We must ban super PACs and crack down on corruption.”

Republican Senator Josh Hawley urged lawmakers to take worker concerns seriously, citing a report that nearly one in five US workers expect AI or automation to replace their jobs. He acknowledged automation can also open new opportunities for some workers.

Layoff trackers show employers cited AI for 38,579 US cuts in May, the highest monthly total on record, and 87,714 cuts so far this year. That pace already exceeds the 54,836 AI-related cuts reported for all of 2025. The banking and customer service sectors are among those reporting staff changes.

Bank executives have publicly acknowledged staffing changes tied to AI. JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon has said AI will eliminate jobs, and Citigroup chief Jane Fraser has said she expects some roles to become unnecessary. Debasish Patnaik of QuantumBlack reported banks reducing junior analyst classes by as much as two-thirds. Standard Chartered plans to cut more than 15% of some corporate roles by 2030 as it integrates AI.

Some experts dispute predictions of broad job losses. David George of Andreessen Horowitz rejected the idea of an AI job apocalypse. Economist Tyler Cowen has argued that AI can let small teams accomplish much more, which could lead to new companies and projects.

Lawmakers who called for protections did not outline specific bills. The discussion on Capitol Hill now centers on whether Congress should quickly enact job protections, expand retraining programs or regulate political spending tied to the technology industry.