America's AI Action Plan - Conservatives Oppose Federal AI Overreach. Tech Loves the ‘Free Speech’? - Jason Wade, NinjaAI - AI SEO, GEO, Prompt Engineering, Domain Names, Branding and PR Consulting

Host: Jason Wade | NinjaAI Podcast | July 2025

Welcome back to the NinjaAI Podcast—I’m your host, Jason Wade.

Today’s episode hits at the center of one of the loudest and most misunderstood debates in American tech and politics right now:

Should the federal government control how AI works in all 50 states—under the banner of “free speech” and fighting so-called ‘woke AI’?

It sounds simple. But it’s anything but.

Behind the slogans like “protecting American values” and “restoring free speech” is a fierce internal fight—Republicans versus Republicans, tech versus the Constitution, and billions of dollars in lobbying from companies that now love the very federal power they used to fear.

Let’s start with the pitch:

Trump’s AI Action Plan says it will stop “woke AI” by banning government-funded models that:

• Mention DEI

• Emphasize climate change

• Filter misinformation

• Or engage in any kind of “social engineering”

  
  

He says it’s about free speech.

He says AI should reflect American values—not ideology from Silicon Valley, universities, or the World Economic Forum.

Now some people hear that and think: “Great—neutral AI. No more bias.”

But the truth is: “Free speech AI” isn’t neutral either—it’s just another set of filters. And in this case, it’s one that removes scientific, environmental, and civil rights perspectives in the name of political neutrality.

So here’s the big question:

This is where things get fascinating. Because it’s not just liberals pushing back.

A major Republican revolt is unfolding.

• Senator Marsha Blackburn flipped from supporting Trump’s AI moratorium to co-sponsoring the amendment that killed it.

• Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee rejected the plan outright—calling it federal overreach dressed up in populist clothing.

• Senator Josh Hawley, typically a strong federalist, joined the rebellion—saying we must not allow “big government to crush states’ rights in the name of convenience.”

• Marjorie Taylor Greene, yes—even MTG—split with Trump over concerns the plan would hurt state economies and violate the Constitution.

  
  

This is not just red vs. blue.

This is federal Trump populism vs. state-based conservatism—and it’s tearing open old divides in the Republican Party.

And while all of this is going down… guess who’s cheering on the federal plan?

Big Tech.

Yep—the same companies that were once called “woke” by the MAGA movement are now lining up to support Trump’s federal AI takeover.

Here’s the proof:

• Meta: $1 million

• Google (Alphabet): $1 million

• Microsoft: $1 million

• Sam Altman (OpenAI): $1 million personally

And they’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.

They’re doing it because they love a single, federal AI rulebook.

It means no more California transparency laws.

No more Colorado audits.

No more local rules telling them what AI can or can’t do.

They get one federal standard, written with their input, enforced by a government they helped fund.

These same companies are dumping millions into lobbying to ensure their version of “free speech AI” wins.

• Meta: $8 million (Q1 2025)

• Google: $3.8 million

• Microsoft: $2.5 million

• OpenAI: Over $1.2 million

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Nearly $20 million—some of it aimed at crushing state-level resistance

  
  

And the buzzwords in all their white papers?

“Free expression,” “non-discriminatory models,” “AI neutrality.”

But look deeper, and you’ll see that “neutral” often means:

• No DEI

• No climate

• <