Scandal-mired GOP rep backtracks on advocating for controversial projects he profited from

Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) was an outspoken defender of AI data centers — until he realized it was political poison with voters.

According to Axios' Andrew Solender, Bresnahan, who represents a competitive district in northeastern Pennsylvania, has introduced a bill called the Local Control Protect Act, which seeks "to restrict companies' ability to sue municipalities for rejecting applications to build data centers," as well as require developers to get community permission to build them.

Such legislation would make building data centers almost impossible, given overwhelming public opposition that shows 7 out of 10 Americans oppose data centers near them. Common complaints include concerns about the impact of their electricity and water consumption on local communities, as well as general distrust of the AI technology they are powering.

However, this new legislation comes just a year after Bresnahan was urging companies to build data centers in his own congressional district — at the exact same time he bought up to $15,000 in stock in a company that provides electric cables for data centers.

Bresnahan has grown controversial as one of the most prolific stock traders in Congress, and he has frequently been accused of trading off his own legislative decisions.

In one other instance, he dumped shares in a Medicaid provider before voting to pass President Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" which cuts around $1 trillion in Medicaid funding over the next decade.