On March 25, 2026, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act—legislation that would immediately halt all new AI data center construction until federal regulations protect workers, the environment, and civil rights. Hours later, Senator Mark Warner called it “idiocy” at the Axios AI+DC Summit. The sharpest intra-Democratic split on tech policy in years.
Moderate Democrats Call It “Idiocy” and “China First”
The backlash wasn’t from Republicans—it came from within the Democratic Party. Warner didn’t mince words: “That would be idiocy. A data center moratorium simply means China is going to move quicker.”
