Republicans’ last-ditch effort to lower costs ahead of midterms fails in key Senate vote
Senate Democrats blocked the Republican-led Ratepayer Protection Act in a 57-43 vote. The bill would have encouraged state regulators to require data center companies to cover the costs they impose on electricity grids, rather than shifting those costs to consumers.
Senate Democrats blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act, a Republican-backed measure aimed at addressing rising electricity costs linked to the rapid expansion of AI data centers. The bill, which had passed the House with bipartisan support, would have required state regulators to consider a federal standard requiring data center companies to pay for their impact on the energy grid, but it did not mandate lower rates or include enforcement mechanisms.
The vote was led by Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, whose campaign against former Sen. Sherrod Brown has focused heavily on data center development and its effect on Ohio ratepayers. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Peter Welch, said the measure was inadequate, while Republicans argued it represented their best opportunity to show voters they were addressing affordability concerns ahead of the midterm elections.