Transcript: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Sept. 13, 2026

Updated on: September 13, 2026 / 12:58 PM EDT / CBS News

The following is the transcript of the interview with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 13, 2026.

WEIJIA JIANG: We turn now to Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox. His new book is titled "Off Ramp: How to be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt." He joins us from Salt Lake City. Good morning, Governor Cox.

GOV. SPENCER COX: Good morning, Weijia. It's great to be with you again.

WEIJIA JIANG: Thank you for being here. Let's start with AI because just this morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson said we don't need everyone to panic and Congress should resist jumping in and imposing some sort of moratorium. But I wonder what role does the federal government need to be playing right now?

GOV. COX: Well, a much bigger role than the role that they're actually playing. I don't think the speaker has to worry at all about Congress not acting. That's kind of all they do. They're- they're very good at that, and I think this is- this is a very important moment for- for all of…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/