Sanders & AOC Introduce AI Data Center Moratorium Act — Halt Construction Until Federal Safety Rules Enacted

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) have introduced the 'AI Data Center Moratorium Act of 2026,' a bill that would place a national pause on the construction of new AI data centers until comprehensive federal AI safety legislation is enacted. The news was reported by Wired, PBS, and The Guardian.

Senator Sanders emphasized the unprecedented scale and speed of the AI revolution, stating that Congress has fallen behind in understanding its societal impacts. He argued against allowing a small number of tech billionaires to make decisions that will fundamentally reshape the economy, democracy, and humanity's future. Representative Ocasio-Cortez pointed to existing harms, including the use of AI for surveillance by government agencies like ICE, the proliferation of non-consensual deepfakes, and the strain on public utilities leading to higher electricity bills.

The proposed legislation aims to ensure that AI development is safe and effective, its economic benefits are broadly shared with workers, and it does not lead to environmental damage or increased utility costs for consumers. The bill also includes a provision to ban the export of U.S. AI computing infrastructure to countries that lack similar safety and environmental regulations, aiming to prevent a global 'race to the bottom.'

The bill comes amid growing concerns over the massive global build-out of data centers required to power AI. Over 100 communities across the U.S. have already enacted their own moratoriums, and this legislation represents an escalation from local opposition to federal policy. In 2023, a letter signed by over 1,000 experts, including Elon Musk and AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell, called for a temporary pause on giant AI experiments.

For major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, which are investing billions in AI infrastructure, the passage of this bill would directly impact their growth strategies.