WASHINGTON — Four Senate Democrats refused to block a GOP data center bill on Sept. 30, breaking with party leadership over a proposal aimed at energy costs tied to AI data centers.
Most Democrats derailed what they considered “toothless” legislation before leaving Washington until November. Republicans argued the bill would help shield Americans from spiking energy costs.
The Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed the House 417-3, would require state utility regulators to consider rules requiring data centers to “recover the full, incremental cost” of the power they need. Some House Democrats who supported the measure have criticized that framework as imperfect.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said party leaders blocked the bill because it did not go far enough. Democrats want data centers to be required by law to pay for their own power upgrades, rather than leaving that outcome to regulators, he said.
“This shoddy bill couldn’t get any flimsier,” Schumer said.
Four Democrats — Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock and Maggie Hassan — voted to advance the measure, breaking with party leadership.
Ossoff said afterward that he thought the legislation was “worthy of debate.” He also said it costs more than ever in American history to power a home.
The dispute reflects growing backlash to data centers and debate over how to regulate artificial intelligence. Senate Majority Leader John Thune accused Democrats of trying to deny an election-year political win to Sen. Jon Husted, the bill’s sponsor.
Thune pointed to the House’s overwhelming support for the measure, while Democrats said it did not go far enough to make data centers shoulder their own power costs.
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