On Thursday, July 22, 2026, President Donald Trump is set to announce an expansion of his Ratepayer Protection Pledge, originally introduced in March, aimed at ensuring that companies building and operating data centers pay rates above normal levels to prevent electricity costs from being passed on to average households. This pledge is supported by governors, lawmakers, utilities, and data center developers.

Trump will be joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and several state governors who signed the original pledge, according to a White House official.

The initiative comes as the United States faces significant strain on its regional electric grids, highlighted by an 81% surge in transmission line congestion costs to $3.2 billion in 2025 within the PJM Interconnection, the largest regional grid serving 67 million people. Last week’s annual power auction at PJM also pushed prices to record highs. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is scheduled to meet on the same day to discuss PJM’s precarious supply and demand balance.

Travis Fisher, director of energy and environmental policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, noted, "Today’s electricity system forces almost everyone, from homeowners to hyperscale data centers, to depend on the same network." He added that the current one-size-fits-all model does not adequately serve either large customers or ordinary ratepayers, with large customers potentially waiting over a decade for service and ratepayers concerned about bill increases due to grid expansions for industrial loads.

Data center advocates argue that the rapid industry growth is prompting much-needed investments in America’s electric grid, alongside other factors like power-plant retirements and transmission constraints that contribute to rising costs.

The White House stated that the nonbinding pledge will now cover 80% of all power delivered to U.S. homes and businesses.

Sources