Senate to Vote on Data Center Energy Bill Before Midterms

The United States Senate will return next week to consider the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill designed to prevent commercial data centers from shifting infrastructure costs to residential and small business consumers. The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives 417-3 on September 16, would require state public utility commissions to consider rules forcing data centers demanding 100 megawatts or more to pay the full incremental cost of their energy upgrades.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune extended the session to prioritize the bill as part of a broader Republican effort to address the high cost of living before the November midterms. Republicans view the measure as a critical affordability message, particularly for endangered incumbents like Senator Jon Husted of Ohio, who sponsored the bill. However, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer has blocked the measure, calling it a "fraud" and arguing that the current version is voluntary rather than mandatory.

Beyond the energy bill, the Senate is scheduled to vote on college sports name, image, and likeness rules and the nomination of Keith Sonderling as Secretary of Labor. A bill to prohibit congressional stock trading remains pending but is unlikely to pass due to a Republican-added photo ID requirement. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the last-minute legislative push as "toothless," accusing Republicans of avoiding more pressing issues, such as the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.