Fetterman: AI Supremacy Is National Security
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Saturday dismissed what he called "AI doomsdaying," warning that China benefits from U.S. "overreaction" in the race for artificial intelligence dominance.
In an X post, Fetterman shared an article highlighting a Bloomberg analysis describing the narrowing U.S. lead over China in AI and the faster pace at which Chinese companies are deploying advanced models. He wrote: "AI supremacy and energy dominance underpins our national security."
He added: "China continues to fuel and benefit from our overreaction. I reject the political pandering and hyperbole over data centers or AI doomsdaying."
Alignment with Trump on AI Development
Fetterman's stance puts him largely in step with President Donald Trump, who has urged governors and local officials to welcome AI data centers, citing jobs and tax revenue. Trump has also said the AI industry needs "a little public relations help" and signed an executive order in July aimed at expediting data center permitting. He has suggested AI "may be bigger than the internet."
Earlier this month, Fetterman reacted to an article reporting that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was considering a pause on AI development. Fetterman said: "America must lead in the development of AI, otherwise we live under China's rules. That must not happen."
In March, Fetterman pushed back against a proposed moratorium on new AI data centers, calling it "China First." He has consistently championed data centers as vital to America's future, joining Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick in that support.
Local Backlash and Shapiro's Executive Order
Fetterman's weekend comments came after Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order setting tougher requirements for data center projects, part of a response to growing community opposition. Shapiro said: "These speculators are scaring our communities, being aggressive with township officials, bullying our neighbors … and refusing to listen to the people, and they are threatening to fundamentally change the character of our communities."
Fetterman, who does not get along with Shapiro, made his remarks while sharing a Semafor headline that read "China closes the gap in AI race with US."
Public skepticism is broad. A Gallup poll from May found that a majority of Americans opposed construction of new data centers near where they live. A Quinnipiac University poll released last month showed 74% of Pennsylvanians would oppose a data center being built in their community.
Despite the backlash, Fetterman remains steadfast, arguing that retreat from AI development would cede ground to China. "I reject the political pandering and hyperbole over data centers or AI doomsdaying," he wrote.