Breaking

Sanders Bill Would Tax 50% of Big AI Firms' Stock to Build $7T Fund

June 22, 2026 at 17:30 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Funding & M&A

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation on June 18, 2026, that would have the federal government take a 50% equity stake in major AI companies such as OpenAI and Google to create a roughly $7 trillion sovereign wealth fund. The fund would pay out 5% annually, funding direct payments of about $1,000 per American citizen as well as healthcare, education and housing programs.

June 18, 2026 · Sen. Bernie Sanders

A $7 Trillion Public Stake in AI

The "American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act" would tax 50% of major AI companies' stock — moving the shares into a federal fund whose 5% dividend pays every U.S. resident over $1,000 a year, plus public programs.

$7T

Estimated fund size at current valuations

50%

Temporary tax on stock, paid as shares

$1,000+

Per resident, per year, from the dividend

How the fund flows

A 5% drawdown from a ~$7T fund splits between residents and programs.

AI firms ($200M+ receipts)

50% stock taxed

→

Sovereign Wealth Fund

~$7T · 5% dividend

→

Payouts

$1,000+/person + programs

Who owns the AI companies?

The bill would split equity in covered firms roughly down the middle.

50%

Public fund

50%

Existing owners

Voting rights on the public stake exercised by a seven-member bipartisan Independent Commission for Democratic AI. Covered: OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Nvidia.

Supporters say

AI is built on humanity's shared knowledge — its wealth should return to workers and citizens, and concentrated power should be democratized.

Critics say

A "socialist scheme" that could stifle innovation and push firms offshore; a 50% stake plus board votes is called extreme — and risky near IPO timing.

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