Bernie Sanders and Ron DeSantis have found rare common ground as critics of the artificial intelligence industry’s rapid expansion of data centers, signaling growing bipartisan resistance that could slow AI development.
Sanders has called for a national moratorium on data center construction, warning that unchecked growth threatens electricity affordability, grid reliability and jobs. DeSantis, meanwhile, has proposed an “AI bill of rights” that would give local communities power to block data centers, arguing the U.S. grid lacks the capacity to support hyperscale expansion.
Their alignment reflects mounting political concern as electricity prices rise and voters feel the impact. Residential power prices are forecast to increase another 4% in 2026 after climbing about 5% in 2025, according to the Energy Information Administration, putting cost-of-living pressures at the center of upcoming elections.
The strain is most acute on the PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid, which warns it could face a six-gigawatt shortfall by 2027 as data center demand surges. Watchdogs say billions of dollars in higher power costs linked to data centers are being passed on to consumers.
Regulators are beginning to respond. Virginia, the world’s largest data center market, will require operators to shoulder more of the cost for new power generation and transmission starting in 2027, while grid monitors have urged rejecting projects that cannot secure reliable supply.
For the AI industry, the message is sobering: data centers are no longer seen as an unqualified economic good. As bipartisan skepticism grows, the sector may face tighter rules, higher costs and slower buildouts just as it races to scale.
