AI-drafted bills take longer to fix than to write

This article was published on August 18, 2026 Congressional staffers and outside groups are using Claude and ChatGPT to write legislation, Politico reports. The House Office of Legislative Counsel now spends longer fixing AI-drafted bills than it would spend writing them from scratch. Its own testimony says it is bracing for the workload. Congressional staffers and outside groups are using Claude and ChatGPT to draft legislation. The lawyers who check that work cannot keep up. Owen Dahlkamp reported the strain on the House Office of Legislative Counsel for Politico on Monday. He drew on interviews with eight current and former officials who work or have worked with the office. One person who has advised the office on the technology gave Politico the line that carries the story. The office spends “more time trying to fix AI-drafted legislation than it would take for them to draft it from scratch,” the person said. Politico granted anonymity to several people because they lacked authorisation to speak on the record. Four congressional staffers involved in drafting told Politico that AI use is becoming routine in the House. “It’s absolutely terrifying,” one House staffer said, “and no