Senator Tim Scott, a Republican of South Carolina and chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat of Massachusetts and ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, during a confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Graeme Sloane Bloomberg | getty images
“While the Fed’s dual mandate is really important: price stability, employment, I also think we have to go deeper into the artificial intelligence conversation in South Carolina,” Scott said. “The real question we should be asking is how do we make sure these data centers pay their own way as it relates to electricity and water usage.”
Scott said that in South Carolina, some parties want to ban data centers that are running AI. Data center bans are gaining momentum across the country as voters grow frustrated with rising utility bills.
“When you zoom out, the most important question is who wins in the future? Is it China or is it the US? Artificial intelligence will be what threads the needle,” he said. “I want to make sure we’re on the right side of history, and obviously we have to solve the domestic problems so we can overcome this issue as a country.”