2026-09-30T17:41:31.199Z / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
参议院民主党人周三否决了共和党提出的一项旨在应对数据中心热潮推高能源成本的法案，挫败了共和党展现出他们正认真对待选民对经济负担担忧的最后一搏。
尽管该法案仅建议各州采取行动，并未强制要求为消费者降低价格，但法案的失败剥夺了共和党反击“他们在中期选举前未采取足够措施应对高物价”指控的机会。这尤其给一位处境艰难的共和党参议员带来了打击：俄亥俄州的乔恩·赫斯特德，他在这场竞争最激烈的参议院席位角逐中因该问题受到抨击，随后牵头推动法案通过。
如今，参议员们预计很快将离开华盛顿，且不会在中期选举前返回，因为多名参议院共和党人表示担忧，在这场关乎国会控制权的关键选举前夕，他们的政党在解决高生活成本问题上做得不够。
此次投票还让民主党面临批评，因为他们否决了本月早些时候在众议院获得两党广泛支持的法案。
这项被称为“纳税人保护法案”的措施以57票赞成、43票反对的结果被否决，仅有4名民主党议员与共和党议员投了相同立场的票。
参议院民主党人在投票前表示，他们反对该法案是因为其力度不足。该法案要求州监管机构“考虑”采用一项拟议的联邦标准，要求数据中心公司承担其对电网造成的成本，而非将成本转嫁给消费者。民主党人士称，该法案的措辞软弱无力，缺乏执行机制。
“我们需要在数据中心问题上采取切实行动，而俄亥俄州的共和党参议员提出了什么？一项可有可无的法案，”参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默周二在参议院发言时表示，民主党人誓言将寻求通过更有力的举措。
此次投票是参议院在中期选举前最后几日的议事内容，凸显了两党之间的争斗——双方都急于向选民证明自己更有能力应对高生活成本。此次投票也正值人工智能驱动的数据中心扩张引发美国人担忧之际。
共和党在投票前批评民主党人的反对立场，称这是在该问题上采取行动的最佳机会。
“这项法案让我们有机会向美国民众证明，我们支持降低电价，并让数据中心承担责任。因此，只有这项法案获得通过，这一切才能实现，”赫斯特德说，“这项法案是目前唯一可行的方案。”
但民主党人不屑于认为他们的反对立场可能产生适得其反的舆论影响。
“如果纳税人看到这项打着‘纳税人保护’旗号的法案，却没有为电价带来任何缓解，他们会理所当然地感到愤怒。他们能看出这并非出于公心，”佛蒙特州参议员彼得·韦尔奇说，“你知道，我认为选民们看清了它的本质：这不过是最后一刻的政治把戏。”
在共和党为保住参议院多数席位而进行的激烈竞争中，赫斯特德承担起了推动法案通过的任务。
数据中心已成为他与民主党候选人、前参议员谢罗德·布朗竞选活动中的一个焦点问题，因为俄亥俄州的民众已经亲身感受到人工智能处理设施的快速发展带来的影响。作为副州长和参议员，赫斯特德曾称赞数据中心能够带来经济繁荣，但同时也推动通过“纳税人保护法案”，试图化解潜在的反对声浪。
正是赫斯特德推动党领袖本周返回华盛顿就该法案进行投票，此前党领袖曾考虑在中期选举前提前休会。多名消息人士告诉CNN，赫斯特德恳求同僚们不要提前回家，至少应先进行此次投票，以传递出共和党正就经济负担问题采取行动的信号。
在俄亥俄州国内，布朗已经制作了多则广告，就数据中心问题抨击赫斯特德。今年8月，参议院共和党竞选委员会——全国共和党参议员委员会发出一份内部备忘录，警告“在这场竞选中，数据中心问题比任何其他事情都更像挂在赫斯特德脖子上的沉重枷锁”。
“这已经成为整个竞选周期中一个被忽视却至关重要的议题，”全国共和党参议员委员会写道。
赫斯特德的竞选发言人艾米·纳托斯指责民主党人通过否决该法案玩弄政治。
“众议院以压倒性优势通过了赫斯特德参议员的两党法案，要求数据中心公司为其使用的电力付费，但参议院民主党人却否决了它。谢罗德·布朗和他的盟友们宁愿玩弄政治，让俄亥俄州家庭承担更高的电费，也不愿通过一项合乎情理的解决方案，”她说。
在一份声明中，布朗的竞选发言人劳伦·周表示：“乔恩·赫斯特德带头将数据中心引入俄亥俄州，迫使俄亥俄州民众多支付数千美元的高额电费，并为大型外州公司提供了数十亿美元不受监管的税收减免。”
“俄亥俄州民众有权决定是否在他们的社区建设数据中心，绝不应该被迫补贴大型企业的电力成本，”周说。
尽管如此，在参议院最后几日的议事中，一些共和党人暗示，该党本可以在解决经济负担问题上采取更多行动。
“我的看法是，民众希望天然气价格能有所回落，希望医疗保健价格能有所下降，希望在这些数据中心问题上拥有话语权。如果由我做主，我会把这些事情列为优先事项，”密苏里州共和党参议员乔希·霍利说。
来自路易斯安那州的共和党参议员约翰·肯尼迪哀叹，在中期选举期间为保住参众两院席位而斗争之际，该党正面临经济逆风。
“我的意思是，你不必是加州理工学院的高年级学生就能明白，民众对生活成本感到愤怒，他们对伊朗问题感到困惑，而这两件事密不可分，”肯尼迪上周表示。
Republicans’ last-ditch effort to lower costs ahead of midterms fails in key Senate vote
2026-09-30T17:41:31.199Z / CNN
Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a GOP-led bill to combat rising energy costs driven by the data center boom, thwarting a last-ditch effort by Republicans to show they are taking voter concerns about affordability seriously.
Even though the bill only recommends states take action and does not mandate lower prices for consumers, the bill’s failure deprives Republicans of an opportunity to counter attacks that they haven’t done enough to tackle high prices ahead of the midterms. It deals a setback to one vulnerable Republican senator in particular: Ohio’s Jon Husted, who led the charge for passage of the bill after being hammered on the issue in his race, one of the most competitive Senate battlegrounds.
Now, senators are expected to soon leave Washington and not return until after the midterms as a number of Senate Republicans have expressed concern that their party has not done enough to address the high cost of living in the run-up to a critical election where control of Congress is at stake.
The vote also opens Democrats up to criticism for blocking the bill, which passed the House earlier this month with widespread bipartisan support.
The measure — known as the “Ratepayer Protection Act” — was blocked on a 57 to 43 vote with only four Democrats voting with Republicans.
Senate Democrats said ahead of the vote that they opposed the bill because it did not go far enough. The bill requires state regulators to “consider” adopting a proposed federal standard that would require data center companies to cover their costs to the energy grid, rather than passing it off to consumers. Democrats said the language was weak and lacked enforcement mechanisms.
“Here we need some real action on data centers and what does the Republican senator from Ohio come up with? Something that is optional,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor Tuesday, as Democrats vowed to seek passage of more robust measures.
The vote, in the Senate’s final days in Washington before the midterms, highlights the fight between both parties as they scramble to show voters they’re better equipped to tackle the high cost of living. It also comes as the expansion of data centers powered by AI has sparked concern among Americans.
Republicans criticized Democrats ahead of the vote for their opposition, saying this was the best chance to take action on the issue.
“This is the bill that gives us a chance to prove to the American people that we’re for lower electricity prices and holding data centers accountable. So the only way that this happen is if this bill passes,” Husted said. “This bill is the only game in town.”
But Democrats brushed off concerns the optics of their opposition could backfire.
“If ratepayers read this (bill) and see that it’s a name that says ratepayer protection and provides no relief in rates, they’ll rightly be angry. They can see something that’s not on the level,” said Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont. “You know, I think voters see this for what it is: as kind of a political maneuver at the 11th hour.”
Husted had taken on the mission of passing the bill amid a critical and highly competitive Senate race as Republicans fight to retain their Senate majority.
Data centers have become a flashpoint in his race against Democrat and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, as communities in the Buckeye state have experienced firsthand the rapid development of AI processing facilities. In his role as lieutenant governor and as a senator, Husted has applauded the economic boom that the centers can bring but has also pushed to approve the “Ratepayer Protection Act” as a way to attempt to neutralize potential backlash.
It was Husted who pushed party leaders to return to Washington this week to vote on the bill after leaders had weighed an early exit ahead of the midterms. Multiple sources told CNN that Husted implored his colleagues not to head home early without at least attempting the vote to send a message that Republicans were doing something on the issue of affordability.
Back in Ohio, Brown has cut several ads attacking Husted on the centers. And in August, Senate Republicans’ campaign committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, sent an internal memo warning “more than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck.”
“This has become a sleeper issue for the entire cycle,” the NRSC wrote.
Husted’s campaign spokesperson Amy Natoce accused Democrats of playing politics by blocking the bill.
“The House overwhelmingly passed Sen. Husted’s bipartisan legislation requiring data center companies to pay for the power they use, but Senate Democrats blocked it. Sherrod Brown and his friends would rather play politics and stick Ohio families with higher electric bills than pass a commonsense solution,” she said.
In a statement, Lauren Chou, a Brown campaign spokesperson, said, “Jon Husted led the charge to bring data centers to Ohio, forcing Ohioans to pay thousands more in higher electric bills and giving giant out-of-state corporations billions of dollars in out-of-control tax breaks.”
“Ohioans should get to decide if data centers are built in their communities and should never be forced to subsidize the electricity costs of big corporations,” Chou said.
Still, in the Senate’s last days of work, some Republicans have suggested that the party could be doing more to tackle affordability.
“My view is that people would love some relief in the price of their gas. They would love some relief in the price of their health care. They would love some rights vis a vis these data centers. If it were me, I’d make those thing priorities,” Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, bemoaned that the party is facing economic headwinds amid the fight to keep the House and Senate in the midterms.
“I mean you don’t have to be a senior at Cal Tech to understand that people are angry about the cost of living, and they’re confused about Iran and the two are inextricably linked,” Kennedy said last week.
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