Since the White House released its AI Action Plan in July, federal policymakers and agencies have taken key steps to implement components of the plan to accelerate U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence.
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The plan outlines over 90 federal policy actions across three pillars: accelerating AII innovation, building American AI infrastructure and leading in international AI diplomacy and security.
Major follow-on actions by agencies touch on procurement, regulation, standards and broader agency AI strategies.
Challenging Restrictive State AI Laws
In December, the White House issued an executive order targeting state AI laws that could interfere with national policy objectives. The order directs the creation of an AI Litigation Task Force to review and potentially challenge laws deemed “unconstitutional, preempted, or otherwise unlawful,” which could potentially hinder innovation.
The EO delivers on the AI Action Plan released by the White House in July. One of the key policies cited in the plan is to cut red tape and eliminate regulations that hinder America’s leadership in this critical technology.
How Are Federal AI Procurement Rules Evolving?
One of the notable policy shifts linked to the AI Action Plan is the Office of Management and Budget’s procurement guidance, which was released in December.
The OMB memo outlines contractual requirements to ensure that large language models, or LLMs, procured by the federal government comply with unbiased AI principles, including truth-seeking and ideological neutrality. According to the policy, agencies should avoid requirements that compel a vendor to disclose specific model weights and other sensitive technical information.
In LLM solicitations, OMB requires agencies to request information from a vendor, including acceptable use policy; information about the model, system or data cards; end user resources; and mechanism for end user feedback.
Agencies are expected to revise their procurement procedures and policies to incorporate these standards by March 11.
What AI Strategies Are Federal Agencies Adopting?
Several federal agencies have released or updated AI strategies in alignment with broader AI Action Plan goals. These plans focus on responsibly integrating AI into missions while promoting innovation and governance.
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS launched its departmental Artificial Intelligence Strategy, emphasizing governance, workforce readiness, risk management and modernization of operations through AI to improve health and human services.
Department of Veterans Affairs
VA published a strategy to expand AI adoption across its services, aiming to streamline workflows, enhance healthcare delivery, accelerate benefits processing and strengthen public trust. The strategy outlines building data infrastructure, reshaping core workflows and developing an AI-ready workforce as central pillars, with pilots already improving administrative efficiencies and expanding AI-assisted tools for both clinical support and veterans services
State Department
The department unveiled its Enterprise Data and Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2026, which aims to modernize diplomacy using AI and data. The strategy has two primary goals: pioneering advanced statecraft and accelerating AI adoption across operations.
Army CIO Guidance
In August, the U.S. Army chief information officer issued guidance to ensure that AI products used within the service branch comply with records management, privacy protections and the Freedom of Information Act. The document requires system and application owners to treat prompts as the foundation for generating and refining content when using AI tools. They must also capture and manage all aspects of the AI interaction to support compliant record management.
Where Does Federal AI Policy Go From Here?
With agency plans in motion and procurement rules evolving, the focus now turns toward implementation and impact. Upcoming deadlines for updated procurement policies and new agency deployments will shape how the federal government operationalizes AI. These developments will be critical in determining not just regulatory compliance but how AI ultimately transforms government services and international engagement.
