The Senate failed a procedural vote on a Republican-backed bill aimed at
limiting data-center-driven residential power increases, falling 57-43 short of
the 60 votes needed to advance; only four Democrats supported it. The measure
would have required state utility regulators to consider steps to prevent new
data centers from raising household electricity rates; Senate Democratic leader
Chuck Schumer called it political theater, saying it set only voluntary
standards and did not compel regulatory action, while Republicans said it
responds to public concern and had near-unanimous House approval. As AI
data-center builds accelerate and power demand rises, the issue has emerged as a
U.S. midterm campaign topic; Cook Political Report’s AdImpact-based analysis
shows political ad spending on data-center issues has topped $53m.
