White House prepares executive order to remove Anthropic’s Claude AI from federal systems: Axios

The White House is preparing an executive order that would formally direct federal agencies to remove AI systems developed by Anthropic from government operations, according to a report by Axios. The move, if released, would mark an extraordinary escalation in the administration’s disagreement with the AI ​​initiative and could reshape how Washington procures and deploys advanced AI tools.

Accordingly axiosThe draft order would instruct agencies across the federal government to remove Anthropic’s artificial intelligence models, known as Claude, from government systems and contracts. The order could be issued as soon as this week, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The conflict between the White House and Antropik escalates

The reported directive will intensify an ongoing legal conflict between Anthropic and Donald Trump’s administration, which has filed a lawsuit challenging the Pentagon’s decision to label the company as a national security risk.

The government’s actions were illegal and unprecedented, Anthropic said in a complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

“These actions are ‘unprecedented and illegal’ and ‘irreparably harm Anthropic.’”

The dispute stems from the U.S. War Department’s recent designation of the company as a “supply chain risk” (a classification historically reserved for foreign competitors).

This designation requires defense contractors to certify that they are not using Anthropic models in work performed for the Pentagon.

Government agencies are already starting to phase out Claude

Some organizations have already begun removing the company’s technology from internal systems. axios Departments including the U.S. Treasury Department have begun the process of decommissioning Anthropic products, he said.

The administration argued that some of the “safeguards” included in Anthropic’s AI models could pose national security risks if private companies could influence military operations or battlefield decisions.

However, Anthropic argued that the administration did not have the legal authority to blacklist a domestic technology company in this way.

The company said in its application that the consequences of the government’s decision could be severe.

“Anthropic’s contracts with the federal government are already being canceled. Current and future contracts with private parties are also in doubt, jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars in the near term,” the complaint states.

“In addition to these immediate economic damages, Anthropic’s reputation and fundamental First Amendment freedoms are also under attack. Absent legal aid, these damages will only grow further in the weeks and months to come.”

‘Woke AI’ criticism fuels policy change

The conflict intensified after Trump publicly criticized Anthropic’s AI systems and ordered institutions to stop using them.

“WE will decide the fate of our country — NOT the out-of-control Radical Left AI company run by people who have no idea what the Real World is,” Trump said on social media last month, ordering federal agencies to “immediately halt” use of the company’s technology.

The planned executive order will formalize this directive across the federal bureaucracy.

Limited precedent for targeting a US tech company

Legal experts say there is little precedent for an executive order singling out a particular American tech firm outside established procurement rules.

During Trump’s first term, the administration targeted foreign technology companies on national security grounds, including crackdowns on Chinese telecommunications groups and actions affecting Huawei and TikTok.

However, in the Huawei case, the company’s name was not clearly mentioned in the administrative order; subsequent restrictions were enacted by laws passed by Congress.

Anthropic’s lawsuit argues that federal procurement law does not give the administration the authority to blacklist a domestic company for its speech or corporate policies.

The company asked the court to cancel the Pentagon’s appointment and postpone the hearing while the legal process continues.