Josh Hawley's Allies on Data Center Bill Before Republicans Lose Majority
Summary
Senator Josh Hawley urged Senate Republicans to consider a temporary pause on data center construction, approvals, or expansion before they lose their majority in six weeks. He has also backed legislation to keep data centers’ electricity costs from being passed on to consumers and to require public disclosure of their utility use.Key Facts
- Hawley has called for a national moratorium on data centers.
- Hawley cosponsored the GRID Act with Senator Richard Blumenthal in February 2026.
- The GRID Act would require data centers to provide their own power source to help prevent them from raising consumer energy costs.
- The bill would require data centers to disclose current and planned utility use publicly.
- Critics of data center construction say high electricity demand can raise utility bills and affect nearby land, air, and waterways.
- Residents in some communities have challenged local officials over transparency in data center deals and companies’ job-creation promises.
- Hawley launched an investigation into OpenAI after an incident involving Hugging Face in July 2026.
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