Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wants to hit pause on the AI data center boom. On Wednesday, he listed a "MORATORIUM on data centers" among his priorities for the Senate's remaining legislative session, making him the first Senate Republican to publicly back such a nationwide pause.
His spokesperson told Politico that Hawley wants a federal halt on new construction until Congress passes a "bill of rights giving taxpayers guarantees of no rate increases." The senator hasn't spelled out the detailed terms of that bill of rights yet. The broad idea: data centers can keep coming, but only once households are protected from picking up the tab for their enormous electricity appetite.
Building On The GRID Act
The proposal builds on legislation Hawley introduced with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in February. Their GRID Act would require new data centers to obtain electricity from sources separate from the grid and publicly disclose their power usage, according to Hawley's announcement at the time.
"American families should not have to shoulder the burden of the rising electricity costs produced by data centers in Missouri and across the country," Hawley said then. His position follows earlier warnings that opposition to data centers could threaten Republican electoral prospects.
Midterm Backlash Reshapes The Debate
Hawley's call follows the November 3 midterms, when candidates seeking tighter limits on data centers made gains. The Associated Press reported last Friday that 32 of 34 victorious gubernatorial candidates supported stronger restrictions, while 12 endorsed bans or moratoriums. That is a striking level of consensus for an issue that barely registered in national politics a couple of years ago.
Hawley isn't alone in pushing for a national construction pause. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have also pushed for one through their AI Data Center Moratorium Act. Sanders renewed his call for an immediate moratorium following the midterm elections. Hawley has not indicated whether he would support their legislation.
Congress Struggles To Contain Power Costs
Lawmakers have already tried to tackle the ratepayer question, with limited success. Reuters reported back in September that the House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act 417-3, requiring state regulators to consider making large electricity users cover grid expansion costs. The Senate blocked its advancement later that month on a 57-43 vote, short of the 60 votes required.
The urgency reflects rising power demand. A Department of Energy report in June projected data centers could consume 11.8% of U.S. electricity by 2030. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has backed faster energy development alongside measures intended to shield households from data-center costs.
So the fight now comes down to a familiar Washington question: everyone agrees something should be done about the power bills, but nobody agrees on exactly what. Hawley's answer is to stop building until the protections are in writing. Whether the Senate's remaining legislative session has room for that debate is another matter entirely.
