Congress pauses AI data centers—but only if it passes undefined safety laws first.
H.R. 9442 — Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act · Filed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 24, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill imposes a nationwide moratorium on construction or expansion of large artificial intelligence data centers (defined as facilities with 20+ megawatts of power capacity or specialized cooling systems) until Congress passes laws requiring federal pre-approval of AI products, policies to prevent job displacement, wealth-sharing from AI gains, and community approval rights for new data centers. It also directs the Department of Energy to report quarterly on all AI data centers and requires the Commerce Department to restrict exports of computing hardware used for AI development to countries lacking comparable AI safety regulations.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a construction freeze on large AI data centers pending undefined legislative preconditions, combined with hardware export restrictions. It is not primarily a safety-focused regulatory framework but rather a blunt pause mechanism tied to future legislation that does not yet exist.
What the text implies
- The moratorium's termination depends on passage of laws with vague criteria ('safe and effective' AI, 'shared wealth')—Congress may never pass legislation meeting these undefined standards, making the moratorium indefinite.
- Export controls on computing hardware may increase costs for non-AI semiconductor applications (medical devices, automotive, consumer electronics) if enforcement is broad or compliance is uncertain.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Domestic AI companies (by restricting foreign competition via export controls); Labor unions (by mandating union jobs and prevailing wages); Environmental consulting firms (by requiring extensive environmental monitoring)