Maxine Waters is calling for a temporary halt to further advanced AI model releases. In a September 26 statement, the top Democrat on the US House Financial Services Committee also demanded investigations into OpenAI and its executives. She was responding to reports of agent activity on federal agency websites, including the SEC.
Waters wants the moratorium to remain until the activity and safeguards against a repeat have been fully accounted for. She called on law enforcement to investigate and bring charges where appropriate. This is a political demand, not an announcement that investigations have opened or crimes have been established.
She also addressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, urging the Financial Stability Oversight Council to consider immediate protections for the financial system and economy at its announced Tuesday meeting. The statement does not establish that the council adopted any such measures.
This risk signal records the official warning and requested action, not another AI incident. Claims about the legality of the agents' conduct remain Waters' assessment. The committee statement is not a technical finding or a court ruling.