Trump may ‘force’ data centers to pay costs

Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump’s trade and manufacturing adviser, said Sunday that the White House may force data center builders to cover their costs as voters continue to be negatively affected by the economy and utility prices rise.

“All these data center builders, Meta “They have to pay not only for the electricity they use on the grid, but also for the flexibility they impact on the grid. They have to pay for the water. So there’s proactive activity and action there; we’re forcing them to internalize the cost,” Navarro said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Navarro did not detail what the White House’s plan to force data center builders to internalize costs would look like. CNBC has reached out to the White House for comment.

Meta did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Data centers and their impact on utilities are part of the affordability problem. Electricity prices are up 6.9% year-on-year in 2025 and show little sign of easing. Navarro tried to place the blame for rising costs on former President Joe Biden, who left office a year ago.

“I want to assure people that we are on top of this, and we feel your pain,” Navarro said. “We understand the devastation that inflation has wreaked on you due to Joe Biden’s irresponsibility, but we are addressing this with an economic policy that will ultimately ensure that wages rise faster than the rate of inflation, and that is the key to affordability.”

But Americans are increasingly blaming the Trump administration for rising costs. As the November 2026 midterm elections approach, polls consistently show Trump underwater on the economy. Democrats criticize Trump and Republicans on affordability, arguing that everyday goods and services have become too expensive. According to polling averages, Democrats hold a 5.2-point lead in the popular vote ahead of November’s midterm elections, which could loosen Trump’s grip on Washington. RealClearPolitics.

While Navarro sought to blame the former president’s administration for Americans’ struggle with affordability, Trump himself said he was “very proud” of the state of the economy. One report On “NBC Nightly News,” which aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, the president was asked: “Where are we at with the Trump economy?”

“I can say we’re there now,” he replied.

The Trump administration has recently taken steps to address pressure on data center electricity and rising utility costs.

In January, several states and the White House signed a deal requiring the nation’s largest grid operator, PJM Interconnection, to require major technology companies to pay for new power plants in the system. PJM operates the network in some of the most data center-dense regions in the United States, including Northern Virginia and New Jersey.

Democratic Govs. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey cruised to victory in their respective states in 2025 after campaigning to lower electricity costs.

The deal called for $15 billion of new generating capacity within PJM, to be financed by technology companies, and called on the operator to hold an emergency auction to supply the electricity. The move comes as the administration is simultaneously grappling with offshore wind projects in the Northeast, some of which are fully permitted or under construction.

“Perhaps no region in America is more at risk than PJM,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said after the announcement. “That’s why President Trump asked governors across the Mid-Atlantic to come together and ask PJM to allow America to build big reliable power plants again.”

POLITICAL Last week, it was reported that a draft agreement the White House wants tech companies to sign to ensure data centers don’t impact consumers’ electric bills.

Trump said last month: Real Social made a deal with him Microsoft “To ensure that Americans do not ‘pick up’ POWER consumption by paying higher electric bills.” The president said his administration is in talks with other tech giants and “More coming soon!”

Microsoft last month promised not to increase utility costs near its data centers and to replenish the water used by the centers.