Republican Senator Wants to Freeze AI Data Center Boom as Congress Pushes to Expand It
Republican Senator Josh Hawley wants a nationwide moratorium on new data centers as the Senate advances bipartisan legislation to speed up energy infrastructure permits.
The Missouri senator listed the moratorium among five priorities for Senate Republicans during the six weeks before Democrats take control of the chamber. Hawley wants a federal pause until Congress passes a "bill of rights giving taxpayers guarantees of no rate increases." However, he has not presented detailed legislation specifying which projects would stop or how long the freeze would last.
Growing Energy Concerns
Data centers are the warehouses packed with powerful computers that train and operate AI services like ChatGPT. Building more AI systems requires installing more servers, which demands additional electricity, cooling equipment and often upgrades to local power grids.
The scale of the issue is significant. U.S. data centers consumed an estimated 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, according to figures cited by Pew, and that could climb to 426 by 2030. In other words, their annual electricity demand could more than double in six years.
Congressional Action
On Monday, the Senate voted 73-25 to advance debate on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, backed by lawmakers from both parties and President Donald Trump's administration. The bill would speed federal reviews for energy projects and transmission lines, helping bring new power supplies online.
It would also require data center operators to pay the additional grid costs their projects create, rather than shifting those expenses onto ordinary electricity customers. In practical terms, Congress is considering how to keep construction moving without making households subsidize it.
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