Jon Husted

Mr. President, Procedure · 21 wordsI rise today to speak about making life more affordable by lowering electricity prices through my bill, the Ratepayer Protection Act.Procedure Claims · 50 wordsAmericans are increasingly realigned on the computing power of data centers in nearly every part of their daily lives--from medicine and manufacturing to agriculture, education, national defense, and the delivery of basic services. As our reliance on this technology grows, so does the demand for data centers across the country. Reasoning · 26 wordsBut more computing power requires more electricity, and when larger data centers come online, the cost of providing that power cannot be pushed onto everyone else. Positioning · 11 wordsWe have got to protect the American ratepayer, the American customer.Positioning Promise · 28 wordsWe have to make sure that the growth of these data centers does not mean higher electric bills for working families, for senior citizens, Vague promiseor for small businesses. Reasoning · 20 wordsThe companies driving this growth should be held responsible for the power they need to operate, not the American ratepayer.No reason given Procedure · 17 wordsThat is what we are talking about today: making the data centers accountable, not the American ratepayer.Procedure Reasoning · 34 wordsWe need to win the global race for artificial intelligence--I don’t think that anyone is disputing that fact--and we should not do it, though, by forcing American families and businesses to subsidize Big Tech.No reason given Claims · 120 wordsThat is why I have introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act. My bill ensures that large data centers pay their fair share of electricity costs, infrastructure costs that they require, requiring them to own the responsibility for those costs, rather than shifting them to other ratepayers. I have been focused on this issue for a long time, since my work in State government, where I pushed Big Tech companies to enter into fair agreements with communities where they were building.Partly on point In March, I went to the White House to watch the President sign the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.²Off point This summer, I took it a step further by introducing S.³ 5028, which we are talking about today, to turn that commitment into law. Reasoning · 43 wordsWe can support American innovation. America is an innovative country.Partly on point We must remain an innovative country and lead the world in superintelligence and build the infrastructure we need for the future without asking families, seniors, No reason givenand small businesses to pick up the tab. Claims · 204 wordsSo, today, we are considering the House-passed version of my bill before this Chamber. It passed the House 417 to 3.¹Logical leap That is why we are here--to focus on this bill--because no other bill exists, other than this one, that can allow us to get this job done today. The Ratepayer Protection Act outlines a standard for data centers to pay their own way for electricity and the grid and the infrastructure, ⁷and it requires State utility regulators to consider this standard to ensure that large-load customers pay the full incremental costs of the infrastructure needed to serve them--pay for it all. The States can’t avoid this. They are going to have to confront the issue.Partly on point Our bill will require them to do that. Those standards could also require financial assurances so that families, communities, and small businesses are not left paying for stranded infrastructure costs from a project that they say they are going to build, but it gets delayed or abandoned. A lot of times, they pass that cost along to everyone else. No, this legislation would help make sure that that doesn’t happen. Last week, I brought the Ratepayer Protection Act to this very Senate floor and asked for unanimous passage.⁴ Positioning · 1 wordsWhy?Positioning Claims · 8 wordsBecause it passed the House 417 to 3. Positioning · 28 wordsWhy delay? Why not get this done immediately? Well, I can’t answer that. You will have to ask those who blocked it because it is ready to go.PositioningOff point Reasoning · 30 wordsIt could be law today if we just decide that we are going to look out for the American ratepayer, and we are going to take action to do so. Claims · 39 wordsAs I mentioned, it passed the House 417 to 3. That is almost unprecedented in this era of politics and governing here in Congress.Partly on point That means that over 99 percent of the Representatives agreed my bill was worth passing. Procedure · 4 wordsLet that sink in.ProcedureOff point Claims · 137 wordsNinety-nine percent of the House of Representatives cast a vote in favor of the Ratepayer Protection Act becoming law. Among those who voted yes on the Democratic side were Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ⁵and every single Member of the House Democratic leadership. They all supported the bill in the House. This bill had unanimous support from House Republicans, from Speaker Johnson to the Freedom Caucus.⁶ All of them supported my bill. You can’t get any broader support than that, folks, in Washington, DC, in this day and age.Partly on point The Ratepayer Protection Act is such a no-brainer that the most conservative and the most liberal Representatives all agreed it was good policy.Logical leap They all agreed. The House of Representatives passed it. It is here. It is ready to go. Promise · 23 wordsAll we have to do is take yes for an answer, Off pointand we will begin today at lowering electricity rates for American ratepayers.Vague promise Claims · 32 wordsThe American people have spoken loud and clear about this issue.Partly on point They want the data centers to be held accountable. We have a chance to do that, to lower their electric rates. The ask · 16 wordsLet’s take advantage of this wonderful opportunity we have to build bipartisan support around this bill.Off point Reasoning · 21 wordsIt is clear that Big Tech should be paying their own way, not passing the cost onto local communities and States.Unearned certainty Claims · 22 wordsThis bill does that. It does that. In a few moments, my colleagues and I will vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act.Off point Promise · 40 wordsTogether, we can send this bill to the President’s desk for his signature today and prove to the American people we heard them; that we are doing something to actually help lower their prices--the prices that they pay for electricity.Vague promise Claims · 49 wordsThe Ratepayer Protection Act represents the most meaningful bipartisan step Congress can take to protect the American people from paying higher prices for electricity. It demonstrates that in Washington, it is still possible to work in a bipartisan way to address the problems most pressing to the American people.Partly on point Positioning · 12 wordsAnd I am proud to have led this effort in the Senate.Positioning The ask · 21 wordsLet’s rise above the politics that often drag this place down and deliver for the American people and do our jobs.Off point Claims · 45 wordsBut I want to be clear about something, this bill--this bill--is the only path that we can take today that will lower electricity prices. No other options remain. This is it.Off point This is the bill that can get it done. It is ready to go. Promise · 43 wordsAll we have to do in this Chamber is say yes and it will be on the President’s desk and we can prove to the American people we actually care about what they are asking us to do to lower their electricity prices. Positioning · 17 wordsAny obstruction to that is to say no to them, that you don’t want to do it.Positioning Claims · 14 wordsI listened to the Democratic leader talk about this bill a few moments ago, Partly on pointThe ask · 67 wordsand I implore him: Stop blocking this bill. Stop blocking this bill. Let it go.Off point Give us a chance, on a bipartisan basis, to prove that we care about what the American people are asking us to do: lowering their prices; making life more affordable; in this case, lowering their electricity prices. Give the American people what they want: Off pointlower energy prices and holding data centers accountable. Promise · 41 wordsI will conclude with this because I would like to get this done on a bipartisan basis, and I would like to be able for everybody in this Chamber to take credit for lowering electricity prices and holding data centers accountable.Off point Positioning · 46 wordsBut if Democrats block this bill, they will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they do not care about affordability and that they will not do anything to take action to help.False choice That is what blocking this bill will prove to the American people.PositioningPartly on point The ask · 23 wordsLet’s listen. Let’s get this done.Off point Let’s lower electricity prices. Let’s hold data centers accountable. And let’s stop blocking a path to affordability. Procedure · 4 wordsI yield the floor.ProcedureOff point