Overview
- On Monday, August 31, President Donald Trump defended accelerating U.S. data‑center construction and called the facilities “la gallina de los huevos de oro,” arguing opposition would help China.
- Vice President JD Vance said the main complaints come from places where centers raise local utility costs and urged companies to supply power back to the grid rather than only draw from it.
- Local resistance has grown sharply, with a Gallup‑reported survey finding more than 70% of Americans oppose nearby data centers and at least 75 proposed projects slowed or paused in early 2026.
- Industry plans remain large: about 4,000 data centers already operate in the U.S. and the five biggest tech firms forecast roughly $750 billion in data‑center investment for 2026.
- State leaders and Republican officials are pushing limits on tax breaks and requiring companies to bear grid and water costs, creating an electoral risk for Republicans before the November midterms and a likely wave of project delays or relocations.