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Husted's ratepayer bill blocked

News · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 2 shows · 33m airtime

The Senate blocked Senator Jon Husted's data center ratepayer protection bill by unanimous consent on September 16, 2026, after it cleared the House 417 to 3. Martin Heinrich objected to the unanimous consent request, and a Senate test vote then drew four Democratic supporters, two short of the six needed, with Peter Welch flipping to no. Ricketts is a co-sponsor of the bill, and some Democratic senators had said they might vote for it. A Senate vote was expected, and the bill's fate remains open.

How 2 podcasts covered it

  1. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-09-26 (15:06 to 27:48)
    Walks through the bill's Senate path
    Pergram walks through the Ratepayer Protection Act's path: House passage 417-3, Husted's unanimous consent attempt, and Heinrich's objection, then says the Senate test vote lands Wednesday. Adds the objecting senator's name to the record.
    New angle: Martin Heinrich objected to Husted's unanimous consent request on the Ratepayer Protection Act.
  2. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-09-28 (8:38 to 10:35)
    Adds Ricketts as a co-sponsor of the ratepayer bill
    Ricketts, a co-sponsor, frames the Ratepayer Protection Act as a way to make data centers provide their own power so rates do not rise for Nebraskans, and ties it to the AI race with China. The first co-sponsor on the record.
    New angle: Ricketts is a co-sponsor of the Ratepayer Protection Act.
  3. Ruthless Podcast, 2026-09-29 (7:52 to 12:42)
    Recaps the House vote and Schumer's ad flip
    Recaps the Husted ratepayer bill's 417 to 3 House passage and its unanimous-consent block in the Senate, then spends most of the segment on Schumer's 2008 financial-crisis ad flip and internal Democratic grumbling ahead of Wednesday's vote.
    New angle: Senate Democrats blocked Husted's bill by unanimous consent earlier this month; a Senate vote is expected Wednesday.
  4. Ruthless Podcast, 2026-09-29 (16:04 to 18:34)
    Argues Schumer's blockade could backfire
    Picks up The Hill's reporting on Democratic divisions over the data center bill: some Democratic senators say they may vote for it, and the hosts argue Schumer's blockade could backfire with voters angry about energy costs.
    New angle: Some Democratic senators have said they may vote for the data center bill.
  5. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-02 (0:12 to 2:03)
    Folds the blocked bill into midterm momentum
    Recaps the Senate's pre-adjournment session, folding the blocked ratepayer bill into a midterm-momentum segment alongside the Stop Insider Trading Act. It stays inside the week's coverage, adding only Schumer's wind-at-our-sails line.
  6. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-03 (4:56 to 9:02)
    Reports the whip count and Welch's flip
    Pergram walks through the Ratepayer Protection Act's mechanics and the failed Senate test vote, then reports the whip count: four Democrats backed it, six were needed, and Peter Welch flipped to no once the vote became a midterm exercise.
    New angle: Four Democrats backed the Senate test vote; six were needed, and Peter Welch flipped to no.
  7. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-10 (2:49 to 3:56)
    Adds Senate floor reaction and new polling
    Adds the Senate floor reaction to the blocked Ratepayer Protection Act: Tim Kaine calls it a fraud that requires nothing of developers, Thom Tillis says it strikes the right balance, and Chad Pergram asks Schumer whether the block was meant to deny Husted a win. Also carries new Fox News polling on local data center opposition.
    New angle: Fox News polling from mid-September found 71 percent oppose a data center in their area; 52 percent back remote siting.
  8. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-10 (4:07 to 5:02)
    Puts a number on the House vote
    Husted, in his own words, puts a number on the House vote that the record lacks: 260 Democrats backed the Ratepayer Protection Act, and every Democrat in the Ohio delegation did. He frames the Senate block as Schumer denying Republicans an affordability win before the election.
    New angle: 260 Democrats voted for the Ratepayer Protection Act in the House, and every Democrat in Ohio's delegation did.
  9. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-10 (4:57 to 6:06)
    Defends the bill's optional design
    Husted defends the bill's optional design on the record: states run their own grids and rates, 24 have already acted, and the other 26 share a regional transmission grid with Ohio, so the provision would push them to act.
    New angle: Husted says 24 states have already acted on data center costs and 13 states share Ohio's grid.
  10. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-10 (6:06 to 6:44)
    Recaps Husted's account of the block
    Husted's own recap of the block: Schumer wanted to deny Republicans an affordability win, and he will keep fighting. Adds the bipartisan House vote roster, but the substance stays inside the record.
  11. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-10 (6:44 to 8:22)
    Reports Husted's claim that Democrats blocked him
    Husted, in his own words, says Ohio voters now understand he tried to act on data center costs and Democrats stopped him, and that the electricity piece reaches beyond the host community. A fresh on-the-record claim from the bill's sponsor, not a recap.
    New angle: Husted says Ohio voters now know he tried to act on data centers and Democrats stopped him.
Unpacking...