House Energy and Commerce leaders seek probe into foreign efforts to slow U.S. data center buildout

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House probes foreign data center influence

Highlights

House Energy and Commerce leaders requested the FBI and White House advisors investigate foreign-backed campaigns allegedly attempting to slow U.S. data center expansion critical for AI advancement.
Lawmakers cite reports from the Bitcoin Policy Institute and Power the Future alleging CCP-aligned networks and foreign billionaires use U.S. nonprofits to channel money into opposition against data center buildout.
Congressional scrutiny increases as local governments consider moratoriums on new data centers, with critics warning that measures like Senator Sanders' AI Data Center Moratorium Act could undermine U.S. technological competitiveness against China.

Congressional inquiry targets AI infrastructure opposition

As reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Chairman Brett Guthrie, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman John Joyce, and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta sent a letter to the co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and FBI Director Kash Patel seeking information on evidence of foreign campaigns aimed at slowing American AI progress and blocking data center development.

The lawmakers argue that data centers are essential infrastructure for AI deployment and broader digital services, including financial systems, health care records, communications and electricity networks. In the letter, they point to the White House action plan released in July 2025, saying the U.S. is in a global contest for technological leadership and that any effort by foreign adversaries to disrupt that objective raises both economic and national security concerns.

Guthrie says Americans deserve to know who is funding what he describes as a disinformation campaign against critical infrastructure investment. He also frames the issue as part of a broader competition with China over AI development and the computing capacity needed to support it.

Reports add pressure as states weigh restrictions

Committee leaders cite recent investigations from the Bitcoin Policy Institute and Power the Future that they say describe how foreign-linked influence efforts are being carried out. According to the statement, one report alleges that foreign state media, the CCP-aligned Singham network and foreign billionaire funding are routed through U.S. nonprofits, while the other says donor money moves through nonprofit channels to build opposition to data center expansion.

The statement says this scrutiny comes as states and local governments continue to consider pauses and moratoriums on new data center construction. It also criticizes Senator Bernie Sanders' AI Data Center Moratorium Act, arguing that restrictions on buildout could weaken U.S. capacity to compete in advanced computing.

The committee says it has made support for AI leadership and the power generation needed for that expansion a priority during the current Congress. Lawmakers contend that China is already using next-generation technologies to strengthen state surveillance, and they present the alleged effort to undermine American AI innovation as a warning that infrastructure policy is increasingly tied to geopolitical competition.

Our earlier report on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s call for tighter financial-sector cybersecurity focused on how increasingly capable AI tools could amplify cyber risks for banks and other institutions. It also highlighted concerns that federal cyber capacity and oversight are being weakened, prompting demands for stronger supervision, vendor controls, and threat-information sharing to protect critical financial infrastructure.

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