Senator Bernie Sanders demands a federal moratorium on new data centers, threatening America’s AI leadership and handing the edge to China in a critical tech race. Sanders’ Moratorium Call Targets AI Boom Senator Bernie Sanders posted an Instagram video in mid-December 2025 urging a federal moratorium on new data center construction. He seeks time to evaluate AI and robotics impacts, warning of job losses in trucking and retail from automation. Sanders argues unchecked development enriches billionaires while harming workers, fitting his long push against Wall Street greed. This comes as U.S. data centers drive a $7 trillion global surge, with 40% stateside countering tariff strains and high borrowing costs. Conservative Backlash Frames It as Sabotage National Review’s December 18 headline dubbed it “The Bernie Sanders Plan to Sabotage the Future,” portraying the proposal as socialist resistance to AI progress. Reason.com criticized it on December 17 as an effort to pause growth amid economic reliance on tech infrastructure. The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council accused Sanders of fearmongering, ignoring facts about AI productivity gains. Americans for Prosperity warned a moratorium cedes ground to China, risking U.S. dominance in the global tech race. Historical Pattern of Anti-Growth Policies Sanders’ call aligns with decades of progressive agendas targeting innovation. His 2014 12-point plan pushed wage hikes, climate measures, and Social Security expansion. Precedents include the Fracking Ban Act prohibiting new permits by 2025 and the End Polluter Welfare Act slashing fossil fuel subsidies. Critics note this AI pause echoes speculation taxes and infrastructure halts, prioritizing worker protections over capitalist dynamism that President Trump’s policies unleashed through deregulation and tax cuts. Impacts and Unlikely Path Forward A moratorium would halt permits, delaying construction jobs in Virginia and Texas while chilling $7 trillion investments. Short-term, it exacerbates tariff pressures; long-term, it endangers the AI space race against China. Sanders claims it prevents inequality and funds transitions like the Just Transition Act, but experts dismiss automation fears as overstated since tech boosts productivity. No bill introduced as of December 21; bipartisan support for AI growth makes passage improbable, deepening divides while bolstering Sanders’ base. President Trump’s America-first approach contrasts sharply, securing over $1 trillion in AI investments and obliterating barriers to innovation that Sanders seeks to impose. Sources: Sanders Senate Issues Page Brookings: An Economic Agenda for America – Conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders Reason: Bernie Sanders Wants to Pause New Data Centers to Stop the Economy From Growing Too Much