Politics
Josh Hawley Backs Nationwide Data Center Moratorium, Breaking With GOP
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) endorsed a temporary halt on data center construction until Congress guarantees taxpayers won't face higher utility bills, becoming the first Senate Republican to back a national moratorium.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) endorsed a temporary pause on data center construction on Wednesday, becoming the first Senate Republican to back a nationwide moratorium. The move puts him alongside progressive Democrats who have pushed for a halt until Congress guarantees taxpayers won't face higher utility bills.
Hawley posted his priorities for the Senate GOP's lame-duck session on X, including a "MORATORIUM on data centers." A spokesperson for the senator, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, said Hawley is calling for a federal moratorium until Congress passes a "bill of rights" giving taxpayers guarantees of no rate increases.
The endorsement comes after a bruising midterm election for Republicans in which Democrats running on anti-data-center platforms fared particularly well. Across the country, Americans have widely criticized the potential energy, water and land-use implications of the growing number of data centers being built to power the artificial intelligence boom.
Hawley has been at the forefront of congressional efforts to regulate data centers. Earlier this year, he led a bipartisan bill with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to force data centers to find their own power sources. It is unclear exactly what his envisioned "bill of rights" would entail.
In the weeks before the election, Republicans tried to get ahead of the issue by pushing the Ratepayer Protection Act, aimed at curbing data center energy costs. The bill passed the House, but Senate Democrats blocked it after saying it lacked enough enforcement power. It is unclear whether Senate Republicans will take it up again during the lame-duck session.
Hawley now stands with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who have led legislation to enforce a data center moratorium. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), in line to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee next Congress, also endorsed a moratorium earlier this year.
State-level Republicans have also taken action. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott halted permits for new data centers in his state in September, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis imposed stricter regulations on some large-scale AI facilities.
The GOP still largely supports data centers as long as residents don't foot the bill for energy and water costs. Hawley, a populist, is often one of the first Republicans to break with his party on contentious issues.