US Senate Set to Vote on Stock Trading Ban, Data Center Bill Before Election Recess

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on legislation that would ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks while in office, along with a separate bill addressing utility costs linked to data centers, before lawmakers leave for an election recess, according to CNBC.

The report said the votes are expected to proceed amid opposition from Democratic lawmakers, though it did not specify the nature of Democrats' objections to either measure.

What the bills would do

A congressional stock trading ban has been debated in Washington for several years, with proponents arguing that lawmakers should not be permitted to trade individual stocks while holding office, citing concerns about potential conflicts of interest given lawmakers' access to non-public information relevant to markets. Various versions of such legislation have been proposed by members of both parties over time, though previous efforts have not become law.

The data center bill referenced in the report would address utility costs associated with data centers, reflecting growing scrutiny of the energy demands that large data center facilities, including those supporting cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure, place on local power grids and, in turn, on utility customers' bills.

CNBC's report did not provide further detail on the specific provisions of either bill, the timeline for the Senate's election recess, or which senators are leading opposition to the measures.

The outcome of the votes was not included in the available report, and both bills' prospects, including any subsequent action in the House of Representatives, remained unclear at the time of writing.