Bryan Metzger

Read the memo authorizing Senate offices to use ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot for official use

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  • Senate staff have been approved to use three major AI chatbots for official work.
  • That includes OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.
  • Lawmakers and staffers have already been experimenting more with using AI over the last year.

Staffers in the US Senate are now allowed to use three major AI chatbots for official business.

In a memo sent to Senate offices on Monday and obtained by Business Insider, the Senate Sergeant at Arms’ Chief Information Officer approved the use of three major AI chatbots using Senate data: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.

The existence of the memo was first reported by The New York Times.

The memo specifically highlighted Copilot, noting that it’s integrated into the Microsoft 365 tools that Senate staff already use.

The memo said that the tool may be used for “drafting and editing documents, summarizing information, preparing talking points and briefing material, and conducting research and analysis.”

It is not clear why the Senate did not authorize Claude, the AI chatbot developed by Anthropic. A message on an internal Senate IT website, viewed by Business Insider, said that Claude was among several AI tools that are still under evaluation.

The House has already approved the use of ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Claude for official use, according to the POPVOX Foundation, a nonprofit focused on modernizing Congress.

There’s some indication that Senate staff may have already been using AI tools on the job, but unofficially.

Several senators told Business Insider in late 2025 that they were fine with their staff using AI for tasks like research and drafting talking points, though some offices were still developing their own internal guidelines.

“We certainly don’t discourage it,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said at the time.

Read the full memo sent to Senate staffers on Monday:

SAA CIO Notice
Artificial Intelligence Platforms Approved for Senate Use
The Sergeant at Arms (SAA) office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has approved the use of three Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms with Senate data. Microsoft Copilot Chat is available now for use by all Senate employees at no cost. Google Workspace with Gemini Chat and OpenAI ChatGPT Enterprise also have been approved for use with the assignment of a Senate license.
The SAA will provide each Senate employee one Generative AI license at no cost for either Google Workspace with Gemini Chat or OpenAI ChatGPT Enterprise. More information about licensing for those two platforms will be provided by the CIO in the next thirty days.
ABOUT COPILOT CHAT
Copilot Chat is an AI assistant that is integrated into the Senate’s Microsoft 365 environment. It can help with routine Senate work, including drafting and editing documents, summarizing information, preparing talking points and briefing material, and conducting research and analysis. You can access the Copilot Chat web app here or download the Copilot Chat app on your mobile device. You may also see Copilot offered as a sidebar tool within Microsoft applications like Word and Excel.
Important Note: Copilot Chat does not have access to any Senate data unless that information is explicitly shared within a prompt. Copilot does not search internal drives, shared folders, email, Teams chats, or any other Senate resources on its own. Copilot Chat operates in Microsoft’s secure government cloud and meets federal and Senate cybersecurity requirements. Data shared with Copilot Chat stays within the secure Microsoft 365 Government environment and is protected by the same controls that safeguard other Senate data.
To learn more about Copilot Chat, take the Copilot Chat Training.
Use of artificial intelligence tools is governed by the Senate AI Policy and applicable office-level policies. To learn more about Senate AI initiatives, visit the Artificial Intelligence Webster Page.
If you have questions or need assistance with AI platforms or policies, call 202-224-8377 or email the Technology Experience Partners.
NOTE: You must be logged onto the Senate network to view internal links. If viewing on a mobile phone, links may need to be copied and pasted into the Senate browser. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact CIO Technology Experience Partners (TEP).




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The Senate just voted to fund the government — but it’ll still partially shut down for a few days anyway

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The US federal government is shutting down again, but it won’t be like last time.

Funding for a slew of federal agencies runs out at midnight late on Friday, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill failed to send a series of bills to fund those agencies to President Donald Trump’s desk in time.

Even though the Senate passed a series of bills to fund the government on Friday, the House is not set to vote on them until late Monday at the earliest, meaning the shutdown will last at least a few days.

Some parts of the federal government have already been funded, meaning that the shutdown, even if it drags out, is only partial.

Additionally, it’s unlikely that this shutdown will last as long as the one that began in October, which stretched for 43 days and became the longest government shutdown in American history.

Here’s what could be affected — and what won’t be

In October, funding for the entire federal government was being held up, and the shutdown was far-reaching. This time, some parts of the federal government would remain operational.

That’s because Congress has already passed a series of spending bills that fund agencies and programs through September 30.

Among those programs are SNAP and WIC, which were notably affected by the previous shutdown. Additionally, national parks would likely remain open, veterans would continue to receive benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and staff on Capitol Hill would continue to be paid.

But plenty of other government agencies and programs would be affected if the shutdown drags out, including the Department of Defense (including troops), the State Department, the Treasury Department, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Notably, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection would remain operational, even though it’s funded via the Department of Homeland Security.

That’s because DHS received $190 billion in funding via the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in July, including $75 billion for ICE and roughly $65 billion for CBP.

It’s unlikely to last as long as before

Unlike in the fall, lawmakers in both parties are working together to try to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

The odds of a shutdown first rose following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Democrats vowed to oppose a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and CBP, until reforms to immigration enforcement are made.

The House had already passed a package of six funding bills, including the DHS bill, and they had been stitched together into one package in the Senate.

The Senate has now passed a reformulated version of that package, with DHS funding continuing for only two weeks to allow for a renegotiation.

It’s unclear as of now whether that package will pass the House when lawmakers return to the lower chamber next week.




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