Lawmakers from both parties back data center permitting reform

Senator Ted Budd, R-N.C., arrives for a Senate Republican Caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on April 2, 2025. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are expressing support for permitting reform to spur the construction of new data centers, following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union announcement of a Rate Payer Protection Pledge to shift data center energy costs onto tech companies. 

Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., spoke during a Washington Post Live event about the key policy actions that need to be taken to ensure the U.S. scales a robust infrastructure suited for artificial intelligence technologies. 

“These hyperscalers that want to put their own energy behind the meter … I have a strong hunch they would be thrilled to do construction labor agreements with unions if they could get the ...