US Senator Jon Husted Pushes Data Center Electricity Cost Bill Amid Senate Opposition
Senator Jon Husted discusses the "Ratepayer Protection Act," a federal bill requiring data centers to pay for their own electricity infrastructure to protect consumers from higher energy prices. The bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support but was blocked by Democrats in the Senate. Husted expects a roll-call vote on the bill next week.
Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) appeared on the Guy Benson Show to discuss the "Ratepayer Protection Act," a federal bill he authored that aims to require data centers to cover the full cost of their electricity infrastructure, including generation and transmission lines. The objective is to prevent these costs from being passed on to American consumers, thereby protecting them from higher energy prices.
Husted highlighted that an identical version of the bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support, by a vote of 417 to 3, with even prominent Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and AOC voting in favor. Despite this broad endorsement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has blocked the bill in the Senate, calling it a "fraud." Husted expressed frustration with Schumer's obstruction, accusing Democrats of prioritizing political issues over affordability.
Senator Husted confirmed that Senate Republicans, in consultation with Leader Thune, plan to bring the bill for a roll-call vote next week, prior to the election. He framed this as an opportunity for Republicans to demonstrate their commitment to lowering electricity prices for Americans and to challenge Democrats to either support a bipartisan victory or "own the defeat." The discussion underscored the ongoing political battle over energy costs and data center development at the federal level.