Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act in late March 2026, targeting facilities consuming more than 20 MW of power with liquid-cooled racks rated at 20 kW or higher used for training or running AI at scale. The moratorium stops qualifying AI data center construction immediately until Congress passes legislation ending the freeze, which must include federal pre-approval of AI products before release, proof that facilities won’t increase local electricity costs, and worker protections. Conditions for lifting the moratorium also include mandatory union jobs, zero government subsidies, local community veto power, and a ban on exporting U.S. AI computing infrastructure to countries like China. The bill tasks the Secretary of Energy with publishing quarterly reports on water usage, energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions, wastewater discharge, and noise levels. Analysts call the bill dead on arrival, but its real power lies in pressure at the state and local level. The Center for Data Innovation labels it a “grab bag” of loosely connected fears, and analyst Hodan Omaar argues that if AI safety were the real concern, policy would target model evaluations and red-teaming, not construction permits.