STATE OF THE UNION: Oklahoma lawmakers react to Trump's data center comments

Oklahoma lawmakers react to Trump's State of the Union address on economy, data centers

By: CJ Maclin

TULSA, Okla. — President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address and focused on tariffs, immigration, and foreign policies.

The speech came as President Trump’s administration navigates some unpopular policies and a partial government shutdown ahead of November’s midterm elections.

National Politics

Trump's State of the Union focuses on tariffs, immigration and foreign policies

Scripps News Group

How did Oklahoma leaders react?

Oklahoma lawmakers supported Trump's speech. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin and Rep. Tom Cole weighed in on the economy and data center utility costs.

"President Trump is right—Joe Biden and Democrats drove inflation to 9.1% in June 2022. We're now averaging 2.4%, with many expecting even better numbers in 2026. Americans know they're much better off under Trump's economy," Mullin said.

"Measurable progress has been made on cost-of-living pressures, drug costs have been lowered on the consumer, and red tape has been cut for small businesses," Cole said.

Recent polling shows Trump's approval ratings on the economy slipped. An AP-NORC poll in February found just 39% approve of Trump's handling of the economy, while 59% disapprove.

Trump on data centers:

A major topic of the address: data centers and the cost of operating them. Trump announced a new ratepayer protection pledge amid growing concerns residents could be stuck paying utility costs for data centers.

"Energy demand from AI data centers could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills. Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new ratepayer protection pledge. We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs," Trump said.

Data centers are a hot topic in Green Country, with most suburbs either building or fielding public comments on proposals for data centers.

2 News Oklahoma is tracking data centers and the pushback:

Data Centers

There is a current bill that aims to protect homeowners from higher electric bills. If passed, it would require data centers to pay a surcharge during peak energy demand. No tech companies have been named, and other details have not been released.

READ: Scripps News fact-checked the State of the Union: