President Trump’s State of the Union left no doubt: the United States will compete, build, and lead in artificial intelligence (AI), advanced manufacturing, and the industries that will define the next century. As we approach our 250th anniversary, the president framed this moment as the start of a new era of national strength - a golden age.

That ambition carries a practical requirement: Leadership in the AI century demands energy on a scale we have never before contemplated. Across the country, data centers are expanding at a breathtaking pace. These facilities power the algorithms shaping defense, finance, healthcare logistics, and more. They operate around the clock, consuming enormous volumes of electricity. Advanced manufacturing facilities that produce semiconductors, precision equipment, and next-generation materials require the same scale. Every promise of American technological dominance rests on a domestic grid capable of sustaining it.

President Trump acknowledged these concerns directly. “Many Americans are also concerned that energy demand from AI data centers could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills.” That concern is legitimate. Working families should not bear the cost of an innovation surge that benefits only global corporations. The American worker who keeps the lights on at home should not be asked to subsidize a trillion-dollar technology sector.

The president’s........

© Townhall