The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is already implementing President Trump's AI Action Plan, Michael Kratsios, Director of OSTP, told the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness, and he urged Congress to pass laws that provide regulatory certainty for AI development and deployment.

The plan — released on July 23 and supported by three executive orders — is “a giant leap” beyond prior initiatives, Kratsios said, framing it on three pillars: innovation, infrastructure and international partnerships. He added the administration is coordinating Commerce, NIST, and other agencies to carry out steps in the plan and that the Commerce Department is on a “90 day shot clock” to issue a request for information on an export package tied to the plan.

Why it matters: OSTP said federal action alone is insufficient to set standards industry-wide; Kratsios repeatedly asked Congress to work with the administration on legislation that establishes sandboxes, clarifies interstate commerce principles and streamlines permitting so private-sector innovators can scale.

In testimony, Kratsios described near-term implementation steps. “We had the second meeting of our AI education task force,” he said, and OSTP will issue an RFI listing regulations that may hinder AI progress. He also reiterated executive orders accompanying the action plan that target federal procurement, permitting for data centers and promotion of an American AI export stack.

Committee members raised specific implementation concerns. Senators asked for timelines and agency responsibilities for elements of the plan; Kratsios said implementation will be coordinated across relevant cabinet secretaries and agencies and that OSTP is supporting Commerce as it prepares the export-package request.

The hearing left statutory work to Congress: Kratsios and multiple senators endorsed sandboxes as a policy tool, with Kratsios saying past sandbox pilots (for example, drone pilots) supplied data that enabled regulators to update rules. Kratsios told the panel, “we are excited to work with you and the committee on an approach to make this into law.”

The subcommittee plans follow-up oversight and asked OSTP to supply written material and regulatory summaries for committees to examine. The hearing record will also be used to shape legislative proposals now being circulated by members.

The hearing concluded with senators inviting OSTP to continue coordination as the administration moves from presidential directives to regulatory and legislative implementation.