House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries could be on a collision course with progressives and grassroots activists who are demanding Congress pass legislation to pause the construction of new data centers. Jeffries, who is set to become speaker if his party wins the House majority in November, hasn’t weighed in on whether he will push a moratorium.
Polls show Americans have recoiled from President Donald Trump’s directive to become the “world’s No. 1 superpower in artificial intelligence” and the recent blitz of data centers. Democratic candidates across the country are campaigning on a pledge to pause or ban the construction of new data center projects.
Trump’s call this week to “let Data Reign” and his description of communities that oppose these facilities as “backwards and poor” gives Democrats an opening to contrast with Republicans on the ballot in November. Some Republicans have worked to distance themselves from the president on the issue, which is bubbling up in areas where new development is exploding.