Representative Rich McCormick is urging the United States to accelerate data center construction to preserve its lead in artificial intelligence. The Georgia Republican, who chairs the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, made the case during an appearance on Bloomberg This Weekend and addressed the issue at a February 24, 2026, hearing titled "Powering America’s AI Future." BloombergNEF estimates that data centers currently consume about 5.9% of US electricity, a share projected to reach roughly 12% by 2030 and approximately 20% by 2035. The research firm also estimates that the facilities could represent around 194 GW of US power demand by 2035. Virginia and Texas already host the country’s largest concentrations of data centers. McCormick has called broad construction moratoriums "dangerous" amid US-China competition in AI and argues that infrastructure permitting should keep pace with AI development. Congress is weighing faster approvals for data centers and transmission lines against continued local limits on construction. Microsoft, Amazon and Google have pursued nuclear power purchase agreements in the past two years as technology companies seek reliable baseload power for energy-intensive AI workloads.