Sanders and AOC Introduce Bill to Halt All New AI Data Center Construction

Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act to halt all new data center construction until federal AI safeguards are enacted.

Sanders and AOC Introduce Bill to Halt All New AI Data Center Construction Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act to halt all new data center construction until federal AI safeguards are enacted. Aaron Rafferty March 28, 2026 Key Takeaways: Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act on March 25, which would pause all new AI data center construction until federal safeguards for workers, consumers, and the environment are enacted. More than 100 local communities have already enacted their own data center moratoriums, and 12 states are pursuing statewide proposals. The bill faces long odds in a Republican-controlled Congress, but arrives the same week the Trump administration released its own AI framework favoring streamlined permitting and lighter regulation. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced legislation on March 25 that would halt all new AI data center construction in the United States until Congress passes federal AI safeguards. The bill, called the AI Data Center Moratorium Act of 2026, would block new construction and major upgrades for data centers used in AI model development or operation above certain electricity thresholds. The moratorium would only lift after Congress enacts laws ensuring AI products are safe, economic gains benefit workers, and data centers do not raise electricity prices or harm the environment. The timing creates a direct collision. The Trump administration released its national AI framework the prior week, recommending streamlined permitting for data centers, lighter federal oversight, and restrictions on state-level regulation. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are proposing the opposite: a full stop until