David Sacks, the White House’s point person on both artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policy, is leaving his role as AI and crypto czar after reaching the 130-day limit for special government employees. Sacks will move into a co-chair position on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the White House confirmed.
The transition marks the end of Sacks’s formal tenure in the czar role — a position that gave him visible oversight of the administration’s AI policy framework. He said he will continue to support the administration’s AI priorities in his new position.
What Triggered the Exit
The 130-day cap is a structural feature of the special government employee designation, not a voluntary departure. Sacks hit the limit that restricts how long individuals in certain advisory roles can serve without formal employment status changes.
Sacks’s move to PCAST places him within an established advisory body with a different institutional function. The co-chair title carries different visibility than the stand-alone czar designation, which had become the public-facing anchor for the administration’s AI and crypto work.
The Federal AI Law Push Is Still Active
The timing is notable: Sacks’s departure from the formal czar role comes as the White House is actively pushing for what it describes as the first comprehensive federal AI law. The administration outlined several goals for the legislation this week, including:
- Child safety protections in AI applications
- Relief from electricity rate increases tied to data-center expansion
- Federal preemption of conflicting state-level AI laws
The legislative push does not appear to be slowing. A White House spokesperson said the administration wants to move the bill forward during the current congressional session, though no formal legislative text has been released.
What Happens Next for AI Policy
Sacks characterized his move as a continuation of his policy work rather than a step back. “I will continue to help advance Trump’s AI policy framework,” he said in a statement reported by Reuters.
The czar title provided a single named official for industry, reporters, and congressional observers to track the administration’s AI moves. PCAST is a broader body. Whether that institutional shift affects the speed or coherence of the legislative push remains to be seen — and will be watched closely as the administration works to get a bill through Congress.
For more coverage on AI regulation and policy shifts, see TRT’s AI News section.
