Washington – September 11, 2026 -- A majority of congressional staffers, 63 percent, oppose the U.S. government taking equity stakes in private artificial intelligence companies, according to a CNCT Capitol Pulse survey highlighted by HillFaith, a Capitol Hill fellowship ministry.
Democratic aides show the strongest opposition to federal AI equity stakes
Among Democratic staffers, 67 percent said they "strongly oppose" the government acquiring stakes in AI firms, compared with 58 percent of Republican aides holding the same position. The partisan gap reverses in the "somewhat opposed" category, where 24 percent of Republican staffers registered opposition versus just 5 percent of Democrats.
Demographic data shows deeper resistance among Democratic women and House staff
The survey found 68 percent of Democratic women staffers fall into the "strongly oppose" category, matched by 68 percent of Democratic House staffers overall. These figures indicate concentrated resistance within specific segments of the legislative workforce tasked with advising lawmakers on AI policy.
Support for government AI stakes remains low but evenly split by party
Both parties registered identical "somewhat support" levels at 17 percent each. "Strongly support" responses were low across the board, with 11 percent among Democrats and 9 percent among Republicans. Among aides under 30, support skewed heavily toward Democrats, who accounted for 72 percent of affirmative responses versus 28 percent from Republicans.
Findings arrive as government already holds stakes in other key sectors
The federal government currently maintains equity positions in sectors including computing, housing finance, and defense. Extending that model to artificial intelligence companies faces a firm bipartisan wall of opposition on Capitol Hill, according to the survey data.