Democrats plan wave of AI and data-center bills for new Congress
Written by AI from westhawaiitoday.com's report. Not checked by a person.
Democrats say they will introduce many AI bills when they take control of Congress in January. The bills cover data-center power costs, independent testing of leading models and liability for AI harms.
Reuters reported on November 7, 2026 that Democrats plan a large number of bills on artificial intelligence and data-center development once they take control of Congress in January. This would break sharply with the Republican-led Congress, which mostly promoted AI and passed no restrictions. Planned measures include protecting consumers from rising electricity bills tied to data centers, requiring independent experts to test leading AI models against safety standards, and clarifying when AI companies are liable for harm. Rep. Lori Trahan is pushing the testing and liability bills, and Sen. Chuck Schumer named data-center energy costs a priority. Rep. Greg Casar wants AI executives to testify under oath. Abdul El-Sayed, newly elected to the Senate, backs an independent AI oversight agency. Obstacles remain: President Trump has repeatedly rejected mandatory AI rules, so any bill faces steep odds unless Congress overrides a veto or attaches rules to must-pass legislation. In October, Democratic House committee leaders asked OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google and SpaceX to detail their security practices. Tech shares fell sharply on the news. An October Reuters poll found most US voters want new AI regulation.
