U.S. lawmakers push to halt data center operations until AI safeguards are in place | technology news

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduce legislation to pause AI rollouts amid growing backlash against the technology.

Two progressive U.S. lawmakers are pushing for a moratorium on new AI data centers to ensure the rapidly advancing technology does not threaten “the future of humanity.”

Legislation introduced Wednesday by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would pause data center construction until national safeguards are in place to protect workers’ livelihoods, civil liberties and the environment.

Sanders, an independent lawmaker who represents Vermont, said lawmakers are “so far behind” in their understanding of AI that a reprieve is needed.

“The bottom line: We cannot sit back and let a handful of billionaire tech oligarchs make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy, and the future of humanity,” Sanders said.

“We need serious public debate and democratic oversight on this incredibly critical issue. The time for action is now. We need a federal moratorium on AI data centers,” he said.

Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said the lack of national laws regulating AI has already caused harm ranging from large-scale government surveillance to the spread of sexually explicit deepfakes of women and children.

“Congress has a moral obligation to stand with the American people and halt the expansion of these data centers until we have a framework in place to adequately address the existential harm that AI is causing to our society,” she said.

“We must choose humanity over profit.”

The proposed legislation comes amid growing grassroots backlash in communities across the U.S. against the rollout of data centers that consume massive amounts of water and electricity.

At least 36 data centers were blocked or delayed in the U.S. between May 2024 and June 2025, disrupting $162 billion in investments, according to Data Center Watch, a research project by AI security company 10a Labs.

Opposition to the project, driven by concerns about rising power prices and environmental damage, cut across partisan lines in states led by Republicans and Democrats, including Virginia, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri and Oregon.

An NBC News poll released earlier this month found that 57% of registered U.S. voters said the risks from AI outweigh the benefits, while 34% said the opposite.

According to the poll, only 26% of voters say they have a positive view of AI, compared to 46% who have a negative view.

Nonetheless, the Sanders-Ocasio-Cortez bill faces an uphill battle in the U.S. Congress. Republicans control both the House and Senate, and even Democrats are divided over how to regulate AI.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who represents Pennsylvania, dismissed the proposed moratorium Wednesday, calling it “China first.”

“The new AI chassis needs to be built by the United States. We can put the appropriate guardrails in place without handing over our victory on AI to China,” Fetterman said.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, which has advocated a light-hearted approach to AI regulation, last week released its long-awaited national AI framework, which sets out recommendations for state-level legislation.

The four-page document urges lawmakers to enact measures to remove barriers to innovation and accelerate AI deployment, while protecting children, controlling electricity prices, and protecting intellectual property rights and free speech.