Federal AI data center moratorium bills sit in committee with no Senate cosponsors

The Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act (S.4214 in the Senate, H.R.9442 in the House) would impose an immediate federal moratorium on new AI data center construction until Congress enacts AI safety legislation. Sanders introduced the Senate bill, which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on March 25, 2026. Ocasio-Cortez introduced the House companion, which was referred to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs on June 24, 2026. The Senate bill carries no cosponsors on record. Both bills would apply to data centers regardless of size and require Congress to pass federal safeguards before construction could resume. Separately, more than 500 U.S. local jurisdictions have enacted restrictions on new data center construction, and local permitting has become a growing constraint on AI infrastructure expansion.