Congressional lawmakers are hitting the brakes on the Pentagon’s efforts to to quietly move forward with powering AI, per Politico.
The Department of Defense is already leasing land to private companies to build data centers proposed for military bases, but the move is drawing scrutiny from members of Congress, according to reporting by Politico.
“It’s just not right for every community,” Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) said, per Politico. “Seemingly, the other side doesn’t want to just admit the reality around resource consumption.”
Congressional lawmakers are mostly worried about the amount of water and energy that data centers require. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) proposed amendments to the House’s version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act that would check the development of data centers by the Pentagon before it accelerates, Politico reported.
Garamendi noted that AI data centers are “extraordinary consumers of both energy and water” and “the question arises as to whether they should be on military bases.”
Levin added, “A bigger concern is that we haven’t received the appropriate brief” from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or the Pentagon “about any of this.”
One provision sought by lawmakers would require the Department of Defense to brief Congress on the impacts of military data centers on nearby communities before construction starts, according to Politico. Another would require DOD to publish annual reports on data center impacts.
“This Congress has an obligation to defend our people,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) said. “Not to stick our heads in the sand or pretend it’s 1946.”
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