**House Republican leaders have shelved major AI safety proposals until after the November 2026 midterms, while Senate bipartisan talks on catastrophic-risk legislation have stalled amid disagreements over enforcement, preemption of state laws, and agency authority.** Multiple bills introduced in September—including measures led by Sens. Klobuchar, Cruz, and Thune, plus proposals for an AI safety board or frontier-model audits—lack a clear path to floor votes before Congress recesses. A June 2026 executive order established only a voluntary federal review framework, and committee advances on narrower measures like codifying the Center for AI Standards and Innovation have not produced comprehensive legislation. With the legislative calendar compressed and any unpassed bills expiring at the start of the new Congress in January 2027, traders see enactment of binding AI safety requirements by year-end as highly unlikely.