Bernie Sanders and AOC propose ban on AI data center construction until federal regulation passes

Bernie Sanders and AOC propose a ban on data center construction | TechCrunch

The explosion of new data center projects in the US has led to a growing backlash against the infrastructure that powers AI. Two influential politicians are now proposing a ban on any new data centers with peak power loads in excess of 20 megawatts. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York are introducing companion legislation in their respective chambers today that would halt the projects until Congress enacts comprehensive AI regulation. Sanders' office points to remarks from a variety of tech luminaries who have discussed their fears of AI and called for stricter rules or pauses on development. These include Elon Musk (who has said "AI is far more dangerous than nukes. So why do we have no regulatory oversight?"), Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Nobel Prize-winner Geoffrey Hinton. A March Pew Research poll found that a majority of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI, with just 10% of those surveyed saying their excitement outweighed their concern. However, massive political spending by AI companies and fears of losing an AI arms race with China may make such legislation difficult to enact. This bill might be seen as an opening bid for what AI regulation should look like. The two lawmakers want the US government to review and certify models ahead of their release, enact protections against AI-driven job displacement, limit the environmental impact of data infrastructure, and require union labor in its construction. They also seek to prohibit the export of advanced chips to countries without similar rules -- which, at this point, is most of them.

New Bernie Sanders AI Safety Bill Would Halt Data Center Construction

US Senator Bernie Sanders will introduce a bill Wednesday that aims to put a national moratorium on data center construction "until legislation is enacted that safeguards the public from the dangers of artificial intelligence." Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will introduce a similar bill in the House in the coming weeks. While it's highly unlikely that the bill will pass -- especially given the Trump administration's full-throated endorsement of AI, and the massive amount of money the industry is set to spend this year in Washington -- the bill marks a new line in the sand for progressives seeking to address both concern around data center construction and the potential harms artificial intelligence may bring. "A moratorium will give us the chance to figure out how to make sure that AI benefits the working families of this country, not just a handful of billionaires who want more and more wealth and more and more power," Sanders said in a speech on the Hill Tuesday evening. "A moratorium will give us the time to figure out how to ensure that AI is safe and effective and prevent the worst outcomes. A moratorium will give us the time to figure out how to make sure AI does not harm our environment or jack up the electric bills that we pay." Sanders's bill puts an open-ended moratorium on the construction or upgrading of new and existing data centers used specifically for artificial intelligence -- defined in the bill via a series of physical parameters, including energy load above 20 megawatts. The moratorium, the bill states, will end only when laws are enacted that not only prevent data centers from contributing to climate change, harming the environment, and raising electricity bills, but also prevent tech companies from producing products that displace harm the "health and well-being of working families, privacy and civil rights, and the future of humanity." Tech companies, the bill states, must ensure that wealth generated from AI is "shared with the people of the United States." (A separate section forbids the export of computing hardware, including semiconductor chips, to any country that does not have similar laws.) The bill name-checks wealthy tech executives, including xAI's Elon Musk, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, who have both profited greatly from artificial intelligence and sounded alarms at just how quickly the technology could change society. The urgent push to build out data centers across the US has ignited a wave of opposition over concerns about higher electric bills, water use, energy impacts, and land rights. Recent polling from Pew shows that nearly 40 percent of Americans believe that data centers are bad for the environment and home energy costs, while 30 percent say that they have a negative impact on quality of life for people living nearby. Public opposition to data centers, and the high energy bills they could cause, has played a role in elections in states like Virginia and Georgia, where data center development has accelerated in recent years. Last year, a report found that $98 billion in data center projects had been stalled or canceled due to community pushback in the second quarter of 2025 alone. In December, Sanders became the first national politician to call for a moratorium on data centers, days after a coalition of more than 230 progressive groups sent a letter to Congress calling for a national moratorium. The letter claimed that "rapid, largely unregulated rise of data centers to fuel the AI and crypto frenzy is disrupting communities across the country and threatening Americans' economic, environmental, climate and water security."

Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez push bill to impose AI data center moratorium

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two high-profile progressive lawmakers are introducing a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don't harm the environment. The legislation by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is unlikely to advance in either the House or Senate, but it shows the deep concerns many progressives share about the growing impact of data centers and artificial intelligence. Communities across the country have seen a backlash against data centers over fears about rising electricity prices and concerns about pollution and water consumption. Opposition to rising power prices was also a key factor in Democratic wins last year in elections in states including Georgia, Virginia and New Jersey. Although advances in artificial intelligence are seen by President Donald Trump and other leaders as critical to the nation's economic and national security, their growing energy needs are threatening to overwhelm the power grid. Trump has sought to deflect public concerns about AI, inviting major technology companies to the White House earlier this month to commit to developing their own power generation. "They need some PR help because people think that if a data center goes in there, electricity prices are going to go up," Trump said. Voters need more than voluntary assurances from tech companies, Sanders said Wednesday. "AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity. The scale, scope and speed of that change is unprecedented. Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts," he said in a statement ahead of the bill's formal introduction. "Bottom line: We cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy and the future of humanity,'' Sanders said. "We need serious public debate and democratic oversight over this enormously consequential issue. The time for action is now. We need a federal moratorium on AI data centers." Most lawmakers of both parties have rejected the idea of a moratorium. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said he agreed with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's warning that a moratorium on data centers amounts to waving a "surrender flag" to China. "I refuse to help hand the lead in AI to China," Fetterman wrote on X. The White House said last week that Congress should "preempt state AI laws" that it views as too burdensome, laying out a broad framework for how it wants Congress to address concerns about AI without curbing growth or innovation in the sector. The legislative blueprint outlines a half-dozen guiding principles for lawmakers, focusing on protecting children, preventing electricity costs from surging, respecting intellectual property rights, preventing censorship and educating Americans on using the technology. U.S. electricity consumption hit a record high in 2024 and is expected to keep rising as data centers continue to expand at a rapid pace. A typical AI-focused data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households. Companies that committed to Trump's pledge to protect ratepayers include Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI and Amazon. The companies agreed to build or buy new sources of power generation for their data centers and cover the expense of infrastructure upgrades.

Bernie Sanders and AOC introduce bill to pause building of new datacenters

Lawmakers say moratorium on construction would buy time to create strong, federal guardrails for AI Amid an unprecedented energy crisis and the rapid buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure, progressive lawmakers have unveiled a new policy to place a moratorium on the construction of AI datacenters. The policy, announced by Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democratic representative, on Wednesday morning, aims to ensure the AI boom protects the environment and communities, and benefits workers instead of harming them. A temporary ban, the lawmakers say, would give the US government time to create strong federal safeguards for AI, which is "affecting everything from our economy and wellbeing to our democracy, warfare and our kids' education". "AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity," Sanders said in an emailed statement. "The scale, scope, and speed of that change is unprecedented. Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts." The bill's official introduction comes as calls to halt AI datacenter expansion have gone from the margins to the mainstream. Since August 2025, towns and counties across the country - including in Missouri, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina - have passed temporary bans on datacenter buildout. At least 11 states are now considering similar policies, according to Good Jobs First, a watchdog group tracking economic development. In December, more than 200 advocacy groups led by the national environmental organization Food and Water Watch also sent House and Senate leaders a letter calling for a federal datacenter moratorium, citing concerns about the sector's impacts on electricity bills and the climate crisis. Sanders became the first lawmaker to back their demand and it has since gained steam with progressive lawmakers such as Maxwell Frost, a Florida representative, and Pramila Jayapal, a Washington representative. "A few months ago, when I proposed a moratorium on AI datacenters, it was perceived as a radical, fringe and Luddite idea," Sanders wrote in a February statement. "Well, not anymore." Survey data shows Americans are increasingly worried about AI's many impacts. A June 2025 poll found that half of US adults are more concerned than excited about its increasing use in daily life, while a December 2025 poll found 60% of Americans believe the sector should be better regulated to limit its potential negative effects on society. Voters are also troubled about the effect of datacenters on increased utility costs and energy consumption, data shows. When a February poll asked participants to select the more concerning issue in randomized contests against datacenter-related issues, they selected utility costs 64% of the time and energy consumption 59% of the time. Datacenters' need for massive quantities of water to cool down equipment has also sparked controversy, especially in drought-ridden areas. So have the facilities' climate effects. Though AI proponents claim the sector can help to lower emissions, an October report from green group Center for Biological Diversity estimates that if current trends continue, datacenters may account for nearly half of all US emissions from the power sector that current national climate targets allow. Datacenters' electricity demand is also spiking electricity prices in some areas. One Bloomberg analysis found that some regions with especially high concentrations of datacenters have already seen power costs surge by 267% over the past five years. Amid increasing worry about these costs, the Trump administration this month hosted tech executives at the White House to "pledge" that their companies will shield Americans from utility rate hikes tied to their datacenters' growing energy demand. Critics say the pledges are unenforceable, and most Americans are skeptical of them, a March poll shows. "We cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy and the future of humanity, said Sanders in his emailed statement. "We need serious public debate and democratic oversight over this enormously consequential issue. The time for action is now." The Vermont senator also spoke about the need for AI safeguards on the Senate floor on Tuesday night. "These multi billionaires are investing in AI and robotics because those investments will increase their wealth and power exponentially," he said. Mitch Jones, managing director of policy and litigation at Food and Water Watch, applauded the new proposal. "We need a halt to the explosive growth of new AI datacenter construction now, because political and community leaders across the country have been caught completely off guard by this aggressive, profit-hungry industry," he said. "It has yet to be determined if - not how - the industry can ever operate in a manner that sufficiently protects people and society from the profusion of inherent hazards and harms that datacenters bring wherever they appear."

Sanders and AOC unveil data center moratorium bill

Why it matters: Sanders and AOC are staking out one of the most aggressive AI policy positions yet this Congress, colliding with the industry's rapid expansion. Driving the news: The bill would impose a national moratorium on new AI data center construction until "strong national safeguards" are in place, per a press release. * Under the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, the ban on new construction could only be lifted after the passage of federal AI legislation that would establish protections for workers and consumers, prevent harm to the environment and defend civil rights, the release states. * Sanders previously previewed the legislation ahead of a trip to California earlier this year where he met with AI company executives. Between the lines: Data center projects could be potentially on hold for years under the Sanders-AOC bill, as Congress is far from passing any AI legislation, let alone anything the two Democrats would consider "strong." * Politicians on both sides of the aisle will say they want to protect workers and families, but sharp disagreements on how to do that persist within and across both parties. * Those disagreements are coming into clear view now the White House has handed over its own vision for AI regulation to Congress. What we're watching: AI's massive energy demands are scrambling party lines, and efforts to halt construction could be an attractive political message on both sides of the aisle ahead of the midterms.

Sanders, AOC Set To Introduce Data Center Moratorium Bill

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are set to introduce legislation on Wednesday barring the construction of the data centers powering the artificial intelligence boom until certain conditions are met. The pair are expected to unveil the details of the proposal during a Capitol Hill press conference at 4 p.m., though a press release previewing the legislation says it will "impose a moratorium on the construction of all new AI data centers until strong national safeguards are in place to protect workers, consumers and communities, defend privacy and civil rights and ensure these technologies do not harm our environment." The proposal is likely to become a benchmark for how the Democratic Party's left wing approaches the artificial intelligence boom. Sanders has taken a particular interest in the issue and traveled to California last month to meet with AI industry leaders.

Bernie Sanders and AOC Want to Pump the Brakes on AI Development

What the Anthropic Lawsuit Means for the Future of AI in Warfare Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are announcing their support for two new AI bills aimed at putting a federal moratorium on the constructions of data centers. Sanders is introducing his bill, the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, on Wednesday. "AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity. Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts," Sanders says in a statement to Rolling Stone. "We cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy and the future of humanity. We need serious public debate and democratic oversight over this enormously consequential issue." The legislation aims to slow down the development of AI, and to give Congress a chance to catch up with proper regulation. Sanders is calling for an immediate federal moratorium on AI data centers until national safeguards are in place to ensure that AI is safe and effective and won't harm "health, privacy, civil rights and the future of humanity." The bill also calls for regulation to ensure that the economic gains of AI will benefit workers "not just the wealthy owners of Big Tech," as well as laws to protect the environment and prevent increased electricity prices for communities. On Tuesday night, Sanders spoke on the Senate floor for half an hour about AI risks, impacts, and the oligarchs running tech companies. At one point he brought up the impact AI has on the environment, and addressed how AI requires large data centers which require a massive amount of electricity and water. "For example, Meta is building a data center in Louisiana, the size of Manhattan, that will use as much electricity as 1.6 million homes," said Sanders. He stood in front of a sign stating that wholesale electricity costs have increased up to 267 percent in areas near data centers in the last five years. "This increased demand will drive a massive expansion of fossil fuels when we are already seeing the devastating impacts of the global crisis of climate change." As Rolling Stone reported in November, an Amazon data center in Oregon worsened a water pollution problem in the state that's been linked to cancer and miscarriages. Nearly 3,000 data centers are under construction or planned across the U.S., with 4,000 already in operation. Sanders told CNN's State of the Union in December, "Frankly, I think you have got to slow this process down." "If there are no jobs and humans won't be needed for most things, how do people get an income to feed their families, to get healthcare or to pay the rent?" said Sanders. "There's not been one serious word of discussion in the Congress about that reality." Ocasio-Cortez has been vocal about the harms of AI as well, continuing to fight for passage of her DEFIANCE Act, which provides civilian recourse for survivors of deepfake AI abuse. Similar to how the data center moratorium bill is structured, DEFIANCE was introduced in both the Senate and the House as a bicameral bill. It has passed the senate but has yet to pass the house. On Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m., Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are set to talk about the legislation, which Sanders will take the lead on sponsoring in the Senate. Ocasio-Cortez will follow-up Sanders'Senate bill with a similar bill in the House of Representatives.