Senators had secured a narrow antitrust exemption for AI companies in annual must-pass defense policy legislation earlier this year before negotiations over the measure were delayed, according to people familiar with the matter.

Senators included the national security-focused antitrust exemption as part of a larger so-called manager’s package of amendments to the bill, which the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee file each year.

Specifically, the package would have included a proposal from Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., granting AI companies a limited antitrust exemption for sharing intelligence with one another and coordinating defenses against Chinese spying and distilling of AI models, and addressing other risks to advanced systems such as cybersecurity incidents.

The package had approval from Armed Services Committee leaders, Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., the people said. Senate Democrats blocked debate on the annual bill over the summer in objection to President Donald Trump’s handling of the Iran war. It would have to survive negotiations with the House.

The effort, which hasn’t been previously reported, takes on new relevance as AI companies, led by Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, advocate for a different type of antitrust exemption that allows them to coordinate on pacing the development of their technologies. That idea, fueled by concerns about risks posed by the fast-advancing technology, has drawn criticism from members of the Trump administration, as well as members of Congress from both parties.

“You have a basic obligation to make your products safe. Do not demand antitrust waivers or liability waivers in exchange for that,” Trump’s former AI adviser, David Sacks, said in an interview with Bloomberg earlier this week.