Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have introduced a bill calling for a nationwide halt on new data center developments.
The legislation, the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, seeks to pause rapid expansion of the infrastructure powering the AI revolution until federal protections are established for workers, consumers, and the environment.
The lawmakers argue that the current pace of AI development is outstripping the government’s ability to regulate it.
“AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity,” Sanders said in a statement. “Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts.”
The bill proposes that the moratorium only be lifted once Congress passes comprehensive legislation to protect civil rights and consumer privacy, mitigate environmental damage caused by high water and energy consumption, and prevent “Big Tech oligarchs” from unilaterally reshaping the global economy.
The federal push follows a wave of grassroots opposition. Officials in 13 states, including Virginia, Georgia, and Michigan, have already proposed local bans or the removal of tax incentives. Residents in these hubs have expressed growing alarm over soaring electricity prices and the massive strain data centers place on local power grids. Currently, a single AI-focused data center can consume as much electricity as 100,000 households.
Despite the progressive push, the bill faces steep odds in a divided Congress. Critics argue a freeze would cripple American innovation. The AI Infrastructure Coalition, co-chaired by Kyrsten Sinema and Garret Graves, called the bill a “moratorium on the American economy,” and warned it would “cut the cord” on modern life.
Geopolitical concerns also loom large. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) echoed sentiments from the Trump administration, suggesting that halting domestic growth would be “waving a surrender flag” to China in the global AI race.
The Trump administration has opted for a market-based strategy over a ban. A recently released legislative framework encourages “responsible development” while proposing that tech giants like Google, Microsoft Corp., and Amazon.com Inc. pay for their own grid infrastructure to shield residential ratepayers from rising costs.
“The proposed moratorium on data centers is short-sighted and counterproductive.” Kevin Frazier, senior fellow at The Abundance Institute, said in an email. The bill “would set back the nation’s AI ambitions while depriving local communities and states of their longstanding role in determining what infrastructure is built within their borders.”
While the Sanders-AOC bill is unlikely to pass, its introduction signals a deepening political divide over whether the unprecedented speed of AI is a race to be won or a crisis to be contained.
