民主党人阻挠了针对本届中期选举周期关键议题之一的行动，并在此过程中可能为一名处境脆弱的共和党人提供了政治生命线。
Democrats blocked a push to tackle one of the key issues driving this midterm election cycle, and may have given a vulnerable Republican a political lifeline in the process.
共和党人旨在遏制全美数据中心激增所导致电费上涨的努力，于周三被纽约州民主党参议员、参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默及民主党人扼杀，尽管该法案此前已在众议院以压倒性的两党支持票通过。
Republicans’ effort to crack down on rising electricity costs caused by the boom in data centers across the country was stifled on Wednesday by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats, despite cruising through the House in a massive bipartisan vote.
然而，舒默的阻挠并未获得民主党内部的一致支持，四名参议员——明尼苏达州民主党人艾米·克洛布彻、佐治亚州民主党人乔恩·奥索夫、佐治亚州民主党人拉斐尔·沃诺克和新罕布什尔州民主党人玛吉·哈桑——打破党派立场，支持了该法案。
Schumer’s blockade, however, wasn't unanimous among Democrats, with four — Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. — breaking ranks to support the bill.
《电费缴纳者保护法》本应确立一项标准，要求人工智能公司及其运营的数据中心承担大部分电费成本——这一议题已成为本届中期选举周期中选民的主要关切。
The Ratepayer Protection Act, would have created a standard for AI companies and the data centers they run to bear the brunt of electricity costs — an issue that has become a predominant concern for voters this midterm cycle.
首部数据中心法案在众议院通过，两党争相就可负担性寻求解决方案。但民主党人辩称，这是一项缺乏实际执行机制的无效举措，仅仅是为了给处境脆弱的俄亥俄州共和党参议员乔恩·赫斯特提供助力。
FIRST DATA CENTER BILL CLEARS HOUSE AS BOTH PARTIES SCRAMBLE FOR ANSWERS ON AFFORDABILITY But Democrats argued it was a toothless effort that lacked any real enforcement mechanism, and merely a political ploy to give vulnerable Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, a boost.
舒默表示：“《电费缴纳者保护法》是一场骗局。它根本未要求任何保护措施。当美国人要求对人工智能和数据中心实施真正有效的监管时，共和党人提供的却是一项毫无约束力的宣传法案。”
"The Ratepayer Protection Act is a fraud. It does not require any protections at all," Schumer said. "While Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill."
“我们需要在数据中心问题上采取切实行动。而共和党人突然决定强行推进一项完全自愿性的法案，这算什么？” 在美国继续与中国展开人工智能主导权军备竞赛之际，选民希望看到科技公司放缓节奏，减缓数据中心的快速建设。福克斯新闻七月的一项民调显示，70%的选民，包括共和党和民主党支持者，均反对新建数据中心。
"We need real action on data centers. And what do Republicans decide all of a sudden to push force forward a bill that is totally optional?" While the U.S. continues its arms race with China for AI dominance, voters want to see tech companies cool their jets and slow the rapid construction of data centers. A Fox News poll from July found that 70% of voters, both Republicans and Democrats, opposed the construction of new data centers.
舒默在民主党中期选举宣传中鼓吹 affordability，同时破坏共和党为解决飞涨成本提出的方案。包括赫斯特德在内的共和党人曾希望，选民的担忧能说服民主党人脱离舒默，在周三的测试性投票前支持该法案。
SCHUMER PREACHES AFFORDABILITY IN DEM MIDTERM PITCH WHILE SABOTAGING GOP FIXES FOR SOARING COSTS Republicans, including Husted, hoped that voter concerns could persuade Democrats to break from Schumer and vote in favor of the bill heading into Wednesday’s test.
赫斯特德说：“我们都知道，人们希望我们做些事情来降低他们的价格。我们有机会做到这一点。”数据中心已成为赫斯特德在与前参议员谢罗德·布朗竞选中的政治棍棒，布朗将他称为数据中心在可能决定11月多数党归属之战中的“代言人”。
"We all know that people would like to see us do something to lower their prices," Husted said. We have the opportunity to do that." Data centers have become a political cudgel against Husted in his race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has labeled him the "face of data centers" in a battle that could determine who wins the majority in November.
赫斯特德辩称，该法案在众议院通过时只有三名民主党人投了反对票，这一推动不需要被贴上“党派胜利”的标签。然而，扼杀该法案可能会给赫斯特德带来竞选所需的助力，因为民主党人阻止了选民在选举前关注的主要议题之一，尤其是在俄亥俄州。
Husted argued that the bill passed the House with only three Democrats voting against it, and that this push didn’t need to be labeled a "partisan victory." Killing the bill, however, could give Husted a needed boost to campaign on, given that Democrats stopped one of the main issues voters have going into the election, particularly in Ohio.
赫斯特德说：“就像这样，看，这可以成为民主党人加入我们的机会，说‘是的，我们同意。我们会与他们合作，把事情做成’，我希望他们会这样做。”
"It's like, look, this can be an opportunity for the Democrats to join us and say, ‘yeah, we agree. We're gonna work with them to get something done,’ and I hope they will," Husted said.
对新兴选举议题的焦虑加剧，但共和党称华盛顿不是答案。但民主党人反驳说，这项立法只是给赫斯特德提供政治弹药的噱头。
ANXIETY GROWS OVER EMERGING ELECTION ISSUE, BUT GOP SAYS WASHINGTON ISN'T THE ANSWER But Democrats countered the legislation was just a stunt to give Husted political ammunition.
新泽西州民主党参议员安迪·金对福克斯新闻数字频道表示，选民能够看穿共和党人正在玩弄的政治手段；他认为这项法案“对赫斯泰德参议员有利，但对选民们来说未必有益”。
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told Fox News Digital that voters could see through the politics being played with by the GOP, and that the bill is "good for Senator Husted, but not necessarily for them."
“因为这项法案实际上并没有任何能够推动真正变革的内容，”金说，“而这正是我们所需要的——我们需要的是那些能够解决实际问题、符合当前形势的法案，而不是那些仅仅为了帮助政治选举而制定的法案。”
"Because it's not, it doesn't have anything that would actually force change," Kim said. "And so that's what we need. We need something that is actually gonna be substantial and meet the moment rather than things that are just designed to be able to help with political elections."
南达科他州共和党参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩则认为，这项法案的通过是两党在众议院共同努力取得的成果，并质疑“为何有人会认为这项法案只是为赫斯泰德提供竞选素材的政治工具”。
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that it was a massive bipartisan effort in the House, and questioned "why you would say that" the effort was just a political front to give Husted an issue to campaign on.
图恩说：“我认为，如果我们真正关注那些大家都认为重要的问题（无论是民主党人还是其他党派所提出的），那么这就是一个制定法律的好机会，而不仅仅是为了表达某种观点而已。”
"I just think, if you’re looking at issues that we want to get at the heart of what everybody seems to be saying, the Democrats and others are saying, are important, we're concerned about," Thune said. "And it's a chance to actually make the law, it’s not just making a point here."