Democrats blocked a push to tackle one of the key issues driving this midterm election cycle, and may have given a vulnerable Republican a political lifeline in the process.
Republicans’ effort to crack down on rising electricity costs caused by the boom in data centers across the country was stifled on Wednesday by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats, despite cruising through the House in a massive bipartisan vote.
Schumer’s blockade, however, wasn’t unanimous among Democrats, with four — Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. — breaking ranks to support the bill.
The Ratepayer Protection Act, would have created a standard for AI companies and the data centers they run to bear the brunt of electricity costs — an issue that has become a predominant concern for voters this midterm cycle.
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But Democrats argued it was a toothless effort that lacked any real enforcement mechanism, and merely a political ploy to give vulnerable Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, a boost.
“The Ratepayer Protection Act is a fraud. It does not require any protections at all,” Schumer said. “While Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill.”
“We need real action on data centers. And what do Republicans decide all of a sudden to push force forward a bill that is totally optional?”
While the U.S. continues its arms race with China for AI dominance, voters want to see tech companies cool their jets and slow the rapid construction of data centers. A Fox News poll from July found that 70% of voters, both Republicans and Democrats, opposed the construction of new data centers.
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Republicans, including Husted, hoped that voter concerns could persuade Democrats to break from Schumer and vote in favor of the bill heading into Wednesday’s test.
“We all know that people would like to see us do something to lower their prices,” Husted said. We have the opportunity to do that.”
Data centers have become a political cudgel against Husted in his race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has labeled him the “face of data centers” in a battle that could determine who wins the majority in November.
Husted argued that the bill passed the House with only three Democrats voting against it, and that this push didn’t need to be labeled a “partisan victory.” Killing the bill, however, could give Husted a needed boost to campaign on, given that Democrats stopped one of the main issues voters have going into the election, particularly in Ohio.
“It’s like, look, this can be an opportunity for the Democrats to join us and say, ‘yeah, we agree. We’re gonna work with them to get something done,’ and I hope they will,” Husted said.
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But Democrats countered the legislation was just a stunt to give Husted political ammunition.
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told Fox News Digital that voters could see through the politics being played with by the GOP, and that the bill is “good for Senator Husted, but not necessarily for them.”
“Because it’s not, it doesn’t have anything that would actually force change,” Kim said. “And so that’s what we need. We need something that is actually gonna be substantial and meet the moment rather than things that are just designed to be able to help with political elections.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that it was a massive bipartisan effort in the House, and questioned “why you would say that” the effort was just a political front to give Husted an issue to campaign on.
“I just think, if you’re looking at issues that we want to get at the heart of what everybody seems to be saying, the Democrats and others are saying, are important, we’re concerned about,” Thune said. “And it’s a chance to actually make the law, it’s not just making a point here.”