Ratepayer Protection Act fails in Senate due to Schumer

Schumer and Senate Democrats sink bill to shift AI data center power costs off households

Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats blocked a near-unanimous House bill that would have pressed states to make AI data centers cover more of their own power costs, leaving ordinary ratepayers exposed.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday refused to advance the Ratepayer Protection Act, falling short on a 57-43 vote that failed to clear the 60-vote procedural hurdle needed to move forward.

Only four Democrats backed the measure. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, yet could not break the Democratic wall against a bill aimed at easing household electricity burdens tied to surging data-center demand.

The legislation would have required state utility regulators to consider whether large electricity users, including AI data centers, should pay the incremental costs of power infrastructure built to serve them. The point was straightforward: stop shifting those costs onto families.

Weeks earlier, the House of Representatives passed the Ratepayer Protection Act on Sept. 16 by a 417-3 vote. That lopsided result showed broad bipartisan support for putting the cost question in front of state regulators.

When a 417-3 House bill dies in the Senate over “not enough,” working families learn who has time for purity tests, and who is left paying the freight.

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U.S. falling behind in National Security

Democrats want to stop Data Center Construction - China First, says Fetterman

Fetterman breaks with his party on AI, warns U.S. retreat hands China the advantage

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman sided with President Trump on aggressive AI development over the weekend, rejecting calls from fellow Democrats to slow down, and warning that every delay benefits Beijing.

Fetterman posted on X on Saturday, sharing a Bloomberg analysis that examined the narrowing U.S. lead over China in artificial intelligence and the faster pace at which Chinese companies are deploying advanced models. His message was blunt: stop panicking about data centers and start competing. Fox News Digital reported that the Democrat dismissed what he called "AI doomsdaying" and accused critics of playing into China's hands.

The senator framed the stakes in national-security terms:

"AI supremacy and energy dominance underpins our national security. China continues to fuel and benefit from our overreaction. I reject the political pandering and hyperbole over data centers or AI doomsdaying."

That puts Fetterman squarely on the same side as the White House, and miles from the progressive wing of his own party, which wants to freeze data center construction altogether. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez want a moratorium; Fetterman calls it "China First"

The split inside the Democratic caucus is not new, but it is widening. On March 25, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood at the U.S. Capitol to announce the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, a proposal to halt new facility construction across the country. Fetterman responded by labeling the moratorium push "China First", a deliberate inversion of the progressive framing.

Earlier this month, when reports surfaced that Sanders was eyeing a broader pause on AI development itself, Fetterman fired back again on X:

"America must lead in the development of AI, otherwise we live under China's rules. That must not happen."

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Fetterman right again!

Fetterman breaks with progressive allies again, backs Trump's AI agenda and warns China gains from U.S. delay

Sen. John Fetterman is siding with the Trump administration on artificial intelligence development, rejecting calls from his own party's left flank to slow down, and warning that every delay hands China a strategic advantage.

The Pennsylvania Democrat posted on X over the weekend dismissing what he called "AI doomsdaying," sharing a Bloomberg analysis that examined the narrowing U.S. lead over China in AI and the faster pace at which Chinese companies are deploying advanced models. His message was blunt: pulling back on AI development and data center construction doesn't protect Americans, it helps Beijing.

Fox News Digital reported that Fetterman wrote on X:

"AI supremacy and energy dominance underpins our national security. China continues to fuel and benefit from our overreaction. I reject the political pandering and hyperbole over data centers or AI doomsdaying."

That stance puts Fetterman squarely alongside President Trump, who days earlier encouraged governors and local officials at the White House to welcome AI data center construction in their communities.

It also widens the gap between Fetterman and the progressive wing of his own party, a gap that has been growing for months across multiple issues.

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Trump on Data Centers

President Donald Trump announced that 23 governors have signed his pledge that seeks to protect households from absorbing utility costs tied to data centers, the sprawling facilities powering artificial intelligence that are expanding rapidly across the country.

The governors, all Republicans, are among nearly 200 stakeholders ‒ major utility companies, data center developers, public power and co-ops ‒ who have signed Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The pledge was first put forward by the White House in March.

Trump, who has defended data centers as they face resistance in many communities, touted the growing coalition at a July 23 event at the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, where he was joined by four of the governors.