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Two House Democrats defect again on key vote for Trump agenda

2026-09-15T22:22:38.347Z / CNN

By Sarah Ferris

Updated 13 min ago

Updated Sep 15, 2026, 7:47 PM ET

PUBLISHED Sep 15, 2026, 6:22 PM ET

Congressional news Donald Trump

Reps. Jared Golden and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Getty Images/AP

House Democrats are fuming after a pair of centrist members once again defied their party leaders by voting to help advance a key White House priority — the second time in recent weeks.

The frustrations at those two Democrats — in particular, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who is seeking reelection in a battleground seat — are so high that they led to a confrontation on the House floor Tuesday evening between the Washington congresswoman and a top party leader, according to a person familiar with the exchange.

Rep. Katherine Clark, the No. 2 House Democrat and party whip, appeared to raise her voice in an intense conversation on the floor with Gluesenkamp Perez shortly after the vote, that person said. (The other Democratic defector, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, is retiring after his term and has faced less party blowback.)

The vote the two Democrats defected on is known as a rule vote. Typically, members of the minority party stick together to oppose these kind of procedural votes, which the majority party needs to bring bills to the floor.

Democrats are particularly irate given that one of the bills that can now be brought to the floor is a Russian sanctions bill that President Donald Trump himself has championed. The White House has made it such a high priority that some in the administration privately reached out to at least one House Democratic centrist, attempting to convince that member to support the GOP procedural vote in exchange for a community project back home, that member told CNN. That member ultimately opposed the GOP procedural vote.

While some Democrats support the Russia sanctions bill, they said they were not willing to back a GOP rule — and cross party leadership — to get that result.

“I’m proud to represent one of the largest Ukrainian communities in America — people who have lost fathers, mothers, sons and daughters in the fight to defeat fascism,” Gluesenkamp Perez said on X, adding, “My vote today gets us one step closer to enacting these sanctions into law and I look forward to voting tomorrow to cut off the flow of Russian oil money fueling this war.”

The decision by the two Democrats to once again flout their leadership has quickly resurfaced a complicated debate about party discipline within the caucus. Democrats had already been discussing ways to punish members who oppose the party on key procedural votes after the last episode. Now, in the final week of session before the midterms, those conversations are quickly heating up.

Another top Democrat, Rep. Pete Aguilar, later called out the two defectors and said their caucus would discuss potential punishments for the members.

Asked about enforcing party discipline, he said, “We’ll have some conversations as a family, and we’ll go from there.”

And he issued a terse warning to fellow Democrats about the behavior: “That’s not what we should be doing.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

New photos show widespread damage at U.S. positions caused by Iranian missile, drone attacks

September 15, 2026 / 5:14 PM EDT / CBS News

New photos obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal for the first time the widespread damage and destruction of buildings and vehicles at multiple U.S. positions across the Middle East, as a result of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

The images were sent to CBS News by active service members on condition of anonymity because of rigid media restrictions within the military.

“This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public,” one deployed service member told CBS News. “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”

Undated photo of plane damaged by Iranian strikes at Prince Sultan AFB, Saudi Arabia.

One photo, taken at Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia, shows a direct hit on the back half of a Boeing E-3 Sentry four-engine aircraft, its tail severed from the charred fuselage that also supported a rotating radar that is essential for collecting midair intelligence.

Aftermath of Iranian strike on Camp Buehring, Kuwait, undated photo

Undated photo of trailers destroyed by Iranian strike, Camp Buehring, Kuwait

Other photos taken from the base show hollowed-out buildings and barracks whose shells ironically stand next to unaffected cement “T-wall” structures, which were once regarded as critical fortifications against grenade and mortar attacks but proved critically ineffective against an aerial assault.

Similarly grim pictures were captured at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for U.S. Army ground troops, armored vehicles and some aircraft; the post is located in a remote desert region far northwest of Kuwait City.

Undated photo of car destroyed during U.S. conflict with Iran, Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

Undated photo of building damaged by Iranian strike, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

The Defense Department’s inspector general this week released a fresh report on the war in Iran that revealed “equipment losses” worth up to $3.7 billion — including nearly 60 aircraft. In a first-of-its-kind mandatory report to Congress, the inspector general added that U.S. Central Command reported Iranian strikes at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.

Undated photo of aftermath following Iranian strike, Prince Sultan AFB, Saudi Arabia

“These are not ‘squirters’ getting through,” the service member added, referencing language used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the deadly March 1 attack on Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait that killed six U.S. troops. “We’re not defending these bases. We’re just watching them get destroyed.”

Kash Patel defends removing bestiality as automatic disqualifier for FBI applicants

2026-09-15T20:26:40.977Z / CNN

By Hannah Rabinowitz

Updated Sep 15, 2026, 4:52 PM ET
PUBLISHED Sep 15, 2026, 4:26 PM ET

FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building, on Tuesday.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

FBI Director Kash Patel’s decision to remove bestiality as an automatic disqualifier for FBI job applicants drew bipartisan disbelief Tuesday after he said the change was intended to protect trafficking victims coerced into sexual acts with animals.

The FBI previously automatically disqualified people who acknowledged engaging in crimes including prostitution or bestiality, which is sexual activity between a human and an animal. Now applicants won’t automatically be disqualified for those acts.

Patel said in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday that the new rules were put in place because “we did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked.”

“We did not want to make it an automatic disqualification for the FBI to consider you if you are a victim of these awful heinous acts,” he said.

Senators across party lines immediately zeroed in on what Patel meant by “victims” of bestiality.

“Why would you even get into bestiality?” Republican Sen. John Kennedy asked Patel.

“We are not into bestiality,” Patel responded, before the senator cut him off.

“I know you’re not, but you changed the qualifications and mentioned bestiality,” Kennedy said, pushing for further explanation. Patel noted that some former trafficking victims had been disqualified for a job because they were forced into bestiality.

“But you’re not telling us today that if a human being had sex with an animal, that they can still be an FBI agent,” Kennedy asked.

“No, Patel said.

[Related vertical video Kash Patel gutted FBI team tracking Iranian threats CNN Kash Patel gutted FBI team tracking Iranian threats]

Outside of hiring practices, Patel was pressed on the ongoing investigations into the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Goods, the ousting of career FBI employees, and the bureau’s plans to patrol the upcoming midterm elections.

On some of those topics — like the Pretti and Good matters — Patel declined to share information because investigations were ongoing. As for the mass exodus of employees, Patel said that most retired and that those fired had “weaponized” the federal government.

In response to questions on the election, Patel said that the FBI was going to “house our agents and intel analysts in our field offices for election security,” but expressed some skepticism that the bureau is barred from sending agents to the polls.

“Do you pledge that you will not, in any way, interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November,” Democratic Sen. Peter Welch asked.

Patel said, “I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies.”

High-profile Democrat breaks with party, embraces key pieces of Trump agenda

2026-09-15T18:00:00-04:00 / Fox News

The Michigan Democrat endorsed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge and public equity stakes in firms like Intel and MP Materials

By Robert Schmad Fox News

Published September 15, 2026 6:00pm EDT

Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens talks Trump policies she agrees with

Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat, signaled support for the president’s approach to data centers, rare earth minerals and taking stakes in industries.

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., threw her support behind three of the Trump administration’s signature economic policies in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Collaboration between ratepayers and data center developers, public stakes in high-growth industries and loan guarantees for critical mineral extraction are all areas where the Michigan congresswoman says the Trump administration is charting the right course. She also pointed to bolstering American manufacturing and deterring the nation’s adversaries from hostage taking as areas where she believes bipartisan collaboration is possible.

“It’s not just about taxation,” Stevens told Fox News Digital when asked how revenues can be raised to fund healthcare and infrastructure programs. “If federal dollars are used, like what Mr. Elon Musk got from the federal government, so potentially this current administration could be right that ownership stakes should be on the table.”

PROGRESSIVE PRAISE FOR TRUMP AS WARREN BACKS PUSH TO CURB DEFENSE CONTRACTOR CEO PAYOUTS

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., speaks during the House Democrats’ news conference to introduce the Taxpayer Data Protection Act in the Capitol on Thursday, February 6, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The Trump administration has increasingly pursued direct equity stakes, alongside grants and loans, to steer capital into industries it considers strategically important, such as semiconductors and critical minerals.

For instance, the administration converted $8.9 billion in federal funding into a 9.9% nonvoting stake in Intel, while the Pentagon took a 15% stake in rare-earth producer MP Materials. Both investments have increased in value since the government took them, although those gains are not realized until the shares are sold.

While Stevens thinks stimulating economic growth is part of the equation for balancing the federal balance sheet, she did say that the “wealthiest of the wealthy” should “absolutely” pay more in taxes.

Stevens rose to national prominence during her primary contest against Abdul El-Sayed, who has since become the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan. She cast herself as a more moderate alternative to El-Sayed, who she accused of unfairly singling out Jewish Americans.

[DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN]

UNITED STATES – MAY 6: Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., speaks during a rally on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol to support research and policies for breast cancer treatment that are at risk by proposed Medicaid cuts, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Though the primary feud between the two was intense, Stevens endorsed El-Sayed following a narrow primary defeat and signaled that, while she may agree with President Donald Trump on some things, she still sees his broader agenda as dangerous for America.

“I personally think [Republican nominee] Mike Rogers is going to continue to rubber-stamp Donald Trump’s chaotic agenda,” she said in an interview after endorsing El-Sayed. “People are going to make a personal and private decision. I am not on the ballot in Michigan.”

Likewise, the White House isn’t particularly warm towards Stevens.

“It’s rich that Haley Stevens claims to support President Trump’s proven economic agenda after voting against the President over 80 percent of the time in Congress – including on the Great One Big Beautiful Bill, which is the largest working-class tax cut in history,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital.

[MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT HALEY STEVENS BACKS EL-SAYED AFTER NARROW PRIMARY DEFEAT, CALLS SOCIALISM ‘DANGEROUS’]

Rep. Haley Stevens and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed are vying for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan.(Scott Olson/Getty Images; Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

Though Stevens is a loyal Democrat, she says that doesn’t prevent her from working across the aisle, especially on local issues.

For that reason, she threw her support behind the Trump administration’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a collaborative framework bringing together utilities, data center developers, cooperatives and state governments to keep energy prices down amidst the massive buildout of AI infrastructure.

“I think collaboration is always a promising first step and path forward,” Stevens told Fox News Digital when asked about the Ratepayer Protection Pledge. “Before I was in Congress, I had also worked on the bipartisan auto-rescue task force in the Obama administration. I was an Obama appointee, but there were also Bush appointees who stayed on, and there frankly were Republicans who were on the task force. And the reason I’m mentioning the auto task force is that we coordinated at the local level. We coordinated large-scale federal resources.”

Later in the interview, Stevens stressed to Fox News Digital that she is “really fired up about critical minerals,” arguing that America makes itself vulnerable to China by failing to increase domestic production. She listed loan guarantees for mining firms, a policy currently being carried out by the Trump administration, as something she supports.

[WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS TURN POLLUTED MINE WATER INTO CRITICAL RARE EARTH MINERALS]

US President Donald Trump, left, and Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Trump is hosting CEOs and industry leaders who have committed to investing in the US at the “Invest in America” event. Photographer: Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg

The White House did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

Looking forward, Stevens — who has a strong record of bipartisan work — highlighted a few areas she believes are fertile ground for Republicans and Democrats to work together.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

“[Rep.] French Hill, who’s a Republican from Arkansas and a great congressman, French Hill and I have passed considerable pieces of legislation to stand up to America’s enemies, to stand up to our detractors, and that continues to be an area where I believe that we will see more bipartisan collaboration,” she told Fox News Digital. “I also feel very strongly and I’m very proud to serve as the bipartisan caucus chair of the manufacturing caucus, our industrial sector, and one of the areas of great success for me in the Congress was, as a midwesterner, working with colleagues on the other side of the aisle to grow our manufacturing economy.”

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House Oversight Committee recommends holding Leon Black in contempt in Epstein probe

2026-09-15T17:33:00-0400 / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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Updated on: September 15, 2026 / 6:10 PM EDT / CBS News

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Washington — The House Oversight Committee voted 41-0 to recommend holding billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas as part of its investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein.

Black, a former business associate of the convicted sex offender, did not comply with subpoenas to appear before the committee on Sept. 3 and produce nondisclosure agreements. Black is challenging the subpoenas in court, and his attorneys called the move to hold him in contempt “a complete abomination.”

The contempt resolution now advances to the full House for a vote on whether to recommend the matter to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. Any charging decisions are up to the Justice Department.

It’s unclear when the House plans to vote on the matter. It’s the House’s last week in session until after Election Day.

GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the committee’s chairman, issued the subpoenas after Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, abruptly left a closed-door, voluntary transcribed interview with the panel in June after refusing to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.

Black employed Epstein as a wealth management adviser, paying him large sums of money for tax and estate planning services. Black also allegedly confided in Epstein about personal matters, including extramarital affairs that ended in nondisclosure agreements, according to emails released last year.

Black told lawmakers in June that he met Epstein in the 1990s and began paying him for wealth management advice in 2013. He has said he regrets employing Epstein, saying the financier repeatedly lied and “falsely claimed to have been involved in decisions about investments.” Black’s attorneys said over the summer the private equity titan was not aware of Epstein’s crimes, and said Epstein “had no involvement with any NDA’s, whether they exist or not.” His legal team also said Tuesday that Black “never forced any woman to sign any NDA.”

Instead of appearing before the committee in September, Black filed a lawsuit in D.C. federal court challenging the validity of the subpoenas. Black argued the subpoenas had “no legitimate connection” to the committee’s legislative purpose, and that turning over nondisclosure agreements would violate the privacy of women who have “no known or public connection to Epstein.”

Comer said in a statement that Black “has chosen to hide behind litigation.”

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee, said he “strongly” supported the move to hold Black in contempt.

In letters ahead of the vote, attorneys for Black urged the committee to postpone the markup until the court has issued a ruling on Black’s lawsuit and the Office of Congressional Conduct has had time to review a complaint that they planned to submit about Comer’s conduct related to the deposition.

“This is retaliation — plain and simple,” attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler said in a statement. “We have the constitutional right to sue Chairman Comer and the Committee because the subpoenas issued were illegitimate, illegal and a textbook abuse of power designed to bully and destroy legal protections of private citizens.”

“This entire charade is about politics and ambition,” they said.

Graham Kates contributed to this report.

Trump admin defends economy as questions grow over Iran war, rising prices

Published 7:49 PM EDT, Tue September 15, 2026 / CNN Politics

https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/15/politics/video/ebof-erin-burnett-a3-trump-iran-war-oil-prices-hegseth-impeachment

Trump admin defends economy as questions grow over Iran war, rising prices

Erin Burnett Out Front

As Trump’s $40 billion war with Iran sparks global riots and a $100 billion surge in gas prices, the White House refuses to even call it a “war.” Plus, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces GOP-led impeachment over the chaos—while his Pentagon hunts for “masculine” troops to serve as his speech backdrop. Erin Burnett reports.

4:29 • Source: CNN

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董建华周六设灵 石泰峰任治丧委员会主任委员

2026年9月16日 07:52 / 联合早报

香港首任特区行政长官董建华上星期二（9月8日）逝世，享年89岁，星期六（19日）将设灵。中共政治局委员、全国政协第一副主席石泰峰担任董建华治丧委员会主任委员。

综合《明报》和星岛头条网报道，董建华治丧委员会公布丧礼安排，定于星期六下午3时在香港殡仪馆设灵，星期天（20日）举行公祭及大殓，上午11时辞灵。治丧委员会由87人组成，主任委员由石泰峰担任。

港澳过往曾有三人获安排举行国家级葬礼，包括曾任全国政协副主席的安子介、霍英东和马万祺，三人的治丧委员会主任都由全国政协第一副主席担任。按此规格，由身兼中共政治局委员的石泰峰出任董建华治丧委员会主任，级别比以往更高。

据报道，治丧委员会成员涵盖政商界，四位副主任委员分别是全国政协副主席梁振英、全国政协副主席兼秘书长王东峰、中央港澳办主任夏宝龙，以及香港特首李家超。

其他委员涵盖多位中央官员及中央驻港机构代表，包括全国政协副秘书长韩建华、中央统战部常务副部长沈莹、中央港澳办常务副主任徐启方、国务院副秘书长王永红，以及香港中联办主任周霁等人。

延伸阅读

董建华灵柩料将覆盖中国国旗 港媒关注治丧安排是否达“国葬”规格

香港首任特首董建华逝世 晚年被视为改革先行者

名单也包括多位现任及前任全国政协常委，包括李家杰、何超琼、林建岳、施荣怀等。香港前特首曾荫权和林郑月娥，曾与董建华共事的香港首任终审法院首席法官李国能、首任律政司长梁爱诗、时任财政司长唐英年、前教统局长李国章等均在名单。

至于商界人士方面，包括长和系创办人李嘉诚、恒隆荣誉董事长陈启宗、周大福集团主席郑家纯。

董建华办公室是于上星期三（9日）凌晨发布，董建华上星期二晚上10时许在亲人陪伴下在医院安详辞世。消息传出后，北京、港府和建制派纷纷发表声明，对董建华的去世表示哀悼，并且高度评价他过去近八年的施政。

中国官方通讯社新华社在报道中，形容董建华为“‘一国两制’杰出贡献者，著名的爱国人士，杰出的社会活动家，中国共产党的亲密朋友”。

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie introduces impeachment articles against Hegseth over Iran war

2026-09-15T17:42:00-0400 / CBS News

By Ibrahim Aksoy News Associate
Ibrahim Aksoy is a news associate for “CBS Mornings” based in Washington, D.C. He covers global news, U.S. politics and foreign policy. Before joining CBS News, he contributed to The Washington Post and the Middle East Institute.

Read Full Bio

Updated on: September 15, 2026 / 6:19 PM EDT / CBS News

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost a primary to a Trump-backed challenger, introduced articles of impeachment Tuesday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of defying Congress during the Iran war, suppressing free speech and other offenses.

“In all of this, Secretary Hegseth has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Secretary of Defense and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States of America,” Massie said Tuesday on the House floor.

The eight articles of impeachment introduced by Massie, who is one of the most anti-interventionist members of Congress, accuse Hegseth of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which provides a check on the president’s power to enter armed conflict without consent from the legislative branch.

Under the Vietnam War-era law, the administration must report to Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces into hostilities if Congress hasn’t authorized a declaration of war. Any unauthorized engagement is capped at 60 days, with an additional 30-day window to withdraw. The Iran war began in late February, though the Trump administration has said Operation Epic Fury — the military’s term for the initial operation against Iran — ended in early May.

The House has approved several measures to limit President Trump’s power to strike Iran under the War Powers Resolution, but most of those efforts have failed to advance in the GOP-led Senate. Mr. Trump notified Congress on July 10 that “military action” against Iran had formally restarted after he declared a monthlong ceasefire “over.” Mr. Trump has argued he doesn’t need congressional approval for the Iran war and called the War Powers Resolution unconstitutional.

Under Tuesday’s motion, the House must vote on the impeachment articles in the next two days. The articles are extremely unlikely to advance in a Republican-controlled Congress. Massie said he did not tell anyone that he planned to introduce impeachment articles because GOP leadership “might have canceled” some voting days.

“In the 60-day period following said transmission, Congress did not, and still has not, enacted any declaration or specific statutory authorization for the use of United States armed forces in hostilities against Iran, or extended the applicable 60-day period by law, despite remaining physically capable of meeting and carrying out its constitutional responsibilities,” Massie said in the articles of impeachment.

Massie also accused Hegseth of ignoring laws to minimize civilian casualties in Iran, specifically mentioning the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran shortly after the war began. A preliminary assessment in March found the U.S. was “likely” responsible for the strike, but did not intentionally target the school.

In another one of the articles of impeachment, Massie took aim at Hegseth’s move to demote Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired Navy captain, after Kelly called on service members to “refuse illegal orders.”

Massie accused Hegseth of abusing the “powers entrusted to him by retaliating against a member of Congress for constitutionally protected speech, and attempting to subject a member of a coordinate branch of government to executive branch punishment for the exercise of his legislative and oversight responsibilities.”

In addition to the accusations about Iran, Massie also included articles of impeachment related to the Trump administration’s strikes on boats in the Caribbean, “kidnapping a sovereign foreign leader” with the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and strikes on Houthi militants and Yemen.

Massie had become a key antagonist of Mr. Trump’s foreign policy, frequently joining Democrats in high-profile votes. Mr. Trump backed a primary challenger in Massie’s Kentucky district, who won the May primary.

Asked for comment on Massie’s impeachment resolution, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson called Hegseth a “transformative leader” who has “slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way.”

“The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first,” Wilson said.

Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.

New York proposes $1 million per megawatt community investment for data centers

September 15, 2026 11:40 PM UTC Updated 12 mins ago / Reuters

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks to the media during a rally with immigration advocates in New York City, U.S., June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/ File Photo

Sept 15 (Reuters) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul is recommending that local governments seek community investments of at least $1 million per megawatt from ​developers proposing new data centers, according to a document released on ‌Tuesday.

Her recommendations come months after New York became the first U.S. state to impose a moratorium on large new data centers.

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The suggested investments of at least $1 million for every ​megawatt of utility demand would help communities where the data ​centers are built “share equitably in the long-term economic value created by ⁠these projects,” according to the document.

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Spokespeople from Amazon, Meta and Alphabet’s ​Google, among the world’s largest data center developers, did not immediately respond to ​requests for comment. Microsoft declined to comment.

“The innovation economy’s growing demand for data centers must be matched by shared standards that ensure communities benefit,” Empire State Development President ​Hope Knight said in a statement.

“Because data centers are not major local ​job generators, their economic development profile differs from traditional manufacturing.”

The expansion of data centers ‌in ⁠the United States is driving up power demand and electricity bills in large swaths of the country, drawing local and bipartisan political backlash.

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican leading one of the world’s fastest-growing regions for artificial ​intelligence infrastructure, directed ​state regulators on ⁠Monday to penalize data centers that fail to disclose details about their water consumption.

Only one in three Americans approve of the ​fast pace of data center construction and most would ​oppose building ⁠one in their own community, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to bring legislation that seeks to rein in ⁠electricity ​bill increases tied to data center expansion, according ​to a spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Legislatures in dozens of U.S. states have introduced similar ​bills.

Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; editing by Donna Bryson and Sonali Paul

blob:https://www.reuters.com/0fa44026-74a5-4249-a66d-021be3823b6d
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https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/
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https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/new-york-proposes-1-million-per-megawatt-community-investment-data-centers-2026-09-15/