In politics, you sometimes just do what you can.
asserted
you → do → politics
All 100 duly chosen and sworn U.S. senators understood why the Senate met for a week at the end of September.
asserted
Senate → choose → September
But you’d be badly mistaken if you thought both sides were really there to hammer out a package to bring down the cost of living for Americans.
asserted
sides → think → Americans
You are correct to say that Democrats blocked two bills that Republicans say voters really want.
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voters → say → that
One was a measure to diminish the costs consumers pay for data centers and a plan to restrict stock trades by lawmakers.
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consumers → diminish → lawmakers
The latter bill even included a voter ID requirement – crucial to the GOP and its base.
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bill → include → GOP
But Republican senators knew that Democrats wouldn’t accept these proposals.
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Democrats → know → proposals
And Democratic senators wouldn’t accept any of the GOP’s legislative propositions, either.
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senators → accept → propositions
So let’s start with the Ratepayer Protection Act.
asserted
’s → let → Act
Both sides know that voters are tripped out about AI and utterly losing it when it comes to data centers.
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it → know → centers
An internal GOP memo in August revealed that the party was especially leery of what this meant for Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted to the Senate last year to succeed Vice President JD Vance.
asserted
DeWine → reveal → Vance
Husted helped foster development of data centers as an official back in the Buckeye State
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Husted → foster → State
So, the final week of the Senate’s session before the midterms crawled with politics.
asserted
week → crawl → politics
Republicans aimed to curb skyrocketing utility costs associated with the construction of data centers.
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Republicans → aim → centers
"(People) ought to be guaranteed no electricity bills will go up by a cent because of a data center," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
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Hawley → guarantee → center
"It sends a clear message that these AI companies and these data centers can't just come into local communities and strip mine out (land).
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companies → send → land
But Democrats say the bill didn’t compel compliance by AI firms.
asserted
bill → say → firms
This was just a suggestion that those who build the data centers help foot some of the bill.
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who → build → bill
A charade because it has no enforcement," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
"
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Blumenthal → have → enforcement
Everything in that bill can already be done by a state regulator.
asserted
Everything → do → regulator
Or it can already be done by a data center developer.
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it → do → developer
And the bill requires nothing of them," argued Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
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Kaine → require → them
I pressed Kaine on if "something was better than nothing."
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something → press → nothing
He disagreed.
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He → disagree → ?
You shouldn't trick people.
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You → trick → people
And this is not even something," replied Kaine.
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Kaine → reply → ?
"It's nothing,"
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., piled on with, "The Ratepayer Protection Act is a fraud.
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Act → pile → ?
It does not require any protections at all.
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It → require → protections
While Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill."
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Republicans → demand → bill
The bill is laced with midterm politics.
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bill → lace → politics
Democrats claim Republicans called the vote to throw a lifeline to Husted.
uncertain
Republicans → claim → Husted
Many Senate Republicans were ready for the Senate to leave town for the midterms.
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Senate → leave → midterms
But they hedged their bets around the data center bill.
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they → hedge → bill
"Can you say 110 precent this is not a vote to help Jon Husted in Ohio?" yours truly inquired of Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
"I think it will help him," replied Hoeven.
asserted
Hoeven → say → him
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., agreed with Hoeven.
asserted
Kim → agree → Hoeven
"The one thing I'll just say is that this is clearly a political ploy," said Kim.
asserted
Kim → say → ?
"I don't think that there's a secret that Sen. Husted is trying to pass a piece of legislation so he could go home and run a campaign ad," said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.
Husted conceded as much.
uncertain
Husted → think → much
"We gave everybody a chance to do something about affordability and the Democrats blocked it.
asserted
Democrats → give → it
So we'll go campaign on it," said Husted.
asserted
Husted → go → it
"Has there ever been a late September or October before an election that wasn't all politics?" asked Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
The evolving positions on the data center bill by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., may be an example of that.
uncertain
positions → ask → that
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
