The U.S. Senate voted down the Ratepayer Protection Act on September 30, with the measure falling 57-43 — three votes short of the 60 needed to pass. The bill had cleared the House two weeks earlier and would have been the final step before President Trump could sign it into law. It sought to create a federal standard directing state regulators and public utility commissions to consider whether large electricity consumers like data centers should cover the incremental costs of the energy infrastructure built to serve them.
Supporters, including Senator Jon Husted, argued the bill would keep America competitive in AI while protecting working families and small businesses from higher electricity bills. Opponents, mostly Democrats, said the measure was toothless because it did not mandate that states adopt the standard — it only required regulators to consider it during rate-setting. Only four Democrats voted for the bill, reflecting a consensus that it did not go far enough.
With the bill dead, Congress has imposed no new federal protection on data center-related grid costs. Some lawmakers have suggested revisiting the issue after the November midterms, possibly with stronger requirements. Meanwhile, states and utilities are acting independently: an Oregon power company raised data center bills by 30% and cut residential electricity costs by 1.3%, and some hyperscalers are moving off-grid or pledging to offset rate increases for residents.