Rep. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is preparing to press Democrats to cast Vice President JD Vance as an ally of powerful Silicon Valley tech executives, leveraging those ties as a political liability ahead of 2028.
Casar will preview his argument Saturday at a county party dinner in Pennsylvania. He plans to urge his party to frame artificial intelligence as an economic issue.
"A small number of AI billionaires are remaking all of American society to make themselves richer, and we're all getting screwed," Casar plans to say, according to an excerpt of his prepared remarks.
The Texas Democrat directly tied Vance's political ascent to tech industry support. "JD Vance got his Senate seat in the first place because California tech billionaires bought it for him," Casar is expected to state. Vance's notable tech allies include Peter Thiel, David Sacks and Marc Andreessen—all of whom have contributed to his political campaigns or helped fund his firm.
Casar's remarks will warn that AI executives threaten millions of jobs through automation and that mass surveillance jeopardizes Americans' freedoms. He will also argue that AI poses a threat to human safety due to its potential power and lack of control.
Earlier this month, Casar introduced legislation alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to pause AI development and establish a government vetting regime for AI systems. He also appeared at a pro-human AI conference where he shared the stage with Sanders and Steve Bannon, advocating for the U.S. to use diplomacy to curb an AI arms race rather than attempting to win it.
In July, Casar criticized his own party's approach to AI, saying Democrats were "in the wilderness on AI" and failing to address evidence of the technology's growing threats.
Vance has defended the tech sector, particularly data centers, stating that opposition to these facilities often stems from concerns over power costs. He has urged the United States to prioritize building new infrastructure.
Casar's move signals a Democratic effort to channel voter skepticism regarding AI and data centers as the party debates whether to adopt more anti-tech, populist messaging in the coming election cycles.
