The White House announced that more than 200 entities, including major utility companies, data center developers and 23 Republican governors, have signed President Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The commitment aims to shield ordinary Americans from rising costs driven by data center expansion. However, the pledge is non-binding with no legal obligations or penalties for non-compliance.

When introduced in March, tech giants Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon were among the first signatories. They vowed to "build, bring, or buy the new generation resources and electricity needed to satisfy their new energy demands" without passing costs to consumers, including funding utility infrastructure upgrades.

The administration claims the pledge now covers 80 percent of power delivered to U.S. homes and businesses, protecting 263 million Americans from data center economic impacts. Whether it works remains to be seen. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association estimates electricity costs will rise 10.5 percent from June through September compared to the same period in 2025 due to surging demand.