A Schumer lands in OpenAI's Washington operation

OpenAI has hired Jessica Schumer, daughter of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to handle government outreach and partnerships in the Northeast, according to Axios, which cited a company spokesperson, in an account reported by the Washington Examiner as part of a wider build-out of the company's policy operation.

At a glance

• Jessica Schumer is the daughter of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and her résumé runs through Amazon, where she was the top public-policy official in New York before the move to OpenAI.
• Her government record includes chief of staff of the Council of Economic Advisers under Obama, plus policy director for Sen. Tim Kaine during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
• The regulatory pressure includes a bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders that would ban development of artificial superintelligence, and state-level orders from governors Josh Shapiro and Greg Abbott restricting data center construction.

The hire reads as a bet on relationships as much as argument: OpenAI is staffing for a Congress where AI legislation, data center siting and the possibility of oversight hearings all run through offices where a Schumer name carries weight. It also fits the pattern set by larger platforms, which have spread money across groups aligned with both parties rather than backing one. The Northeast brief likely puts state capitals, not only Washington, in scope.

Jessica Schumer moves to OpenAI from Amazon's top public-policy job in New York

Schumer joins from Amazon, where she was the company's top public-policy official in New York. Her OpenAI brief covers government outreach and partnerships in the Northeast. The hire lands as OpenAI expands its operations in Washington, with lawmakers still arguing over how the artificial intelligence industry should be regulated at the federal level.

Her earlier record runs through Democratic politics: chief of staff of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration, and policy director for Sen. Tim Kaine during Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign. She was educated at Harvard and Yale, and her father represents New York in the Senate.

Meta gave $5 million apiece to four party-aligned outside groups

OpenAI is not the only technology company enlarging its political footprint as the prospect of a Democratic-controlled House raises the possibility of congressional investigations, subpoenas and hearings. Meta's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, cultivated a closer relationship with Trump after his 2024 election victory, and the company has poured millions into outside groups aligned with both parties.

The Wall Street Journal reported contributions of $5 million apiece to the Democratic-aligned House Majority Forward and Majority Forward, and matching $5 million amounts to the Republican-aligned American Action Network and One Nation. Before those donations, Meta contributed $10 million to a Trump-aligned political committee.

Sanders has introduced a bill to ban development of artificial superintelligence

Sen. Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation that would ban the development of artificial superintelligence, warning that advanced systems could become capable of operating beyond human control. Sam Altman has called on AI industry leaders to explain the technology's benefits better to the public amid rising backlash against the industry and against data center construction.

Altman's comments followed resistance from the AI industry to an executive order signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro, which sets out new requirements restricting data center development in Pennsylvania and which Shapiro called the most stringent in the country. Gov. Greg Abbott signed a similar order in August.

Trump has made US global leadership in artificial intelligence a central priority, while voters have voiced concerns about the data centers needed to power the technology, including that the infrastructure will raise utility prices where the sites are built. On Truth Social he wrote that "China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement."

Schumer's leadership race and the midterms

Chuck Schumer faces another leadership race and a possible reelection campaign in 2028, with the party's left wing pressing an anti-establishment campaign after wins by socialist candidates. He has dodged questions about what those results mean for him and for Democrats heading into the November midterms, the same election that Trump said he cannot believe has turned data centers into a top issue.