The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections later this year.The Trump administration and governors will sign a statement of principles toward that end Friday.The plan was first reported by Bloomberg.“Ensuring the American people have reliable and affordable electricity is one of President Trump’s top priorities, and this would deliver much-needed, long-term relief to the mid-Atlantic region," said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman.Pennsylvania Gov.Josh Shapiro is expected to be at the White House, a person familiar with Shapiro’s plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.
Shapiro, a Democrat, made his participation in Friday’s event contingent on including a provision to extend a limit on wholesale electricity price increases for the region’s consumers, the person said.But the operator of the grid won't be there.“PJM was not invited.Therefore we would not attend,” said spokesperson Jeff Shields.It was not immediately clear whether President Donald Trump would attend the event, which was not listed on his public schedule.Popular ReadsMinneapolis ICE shooting live updates: Good shot in chest, forearm and possibly head33 minutes ago'West Wing' actor turns himself in on criminal sexual contact of minor chargesJan 13, 3:40 PMState Department warns US citizens to leave VenezuelaJan 11, 10:28 PMTrump and the governors are under pressure to insulate consumers and businesses alike from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.
Meanwhile, more Americans are falling behind on their electricity bills.However, they also say that the billions of dollars that consumers are paying isn’t resulting in the construction of new power plants necessary to meet the rising demand.Gas and electric utilities sought or won rate increases of more that $34 billion in the first three quarters of 2025, consumer advocacy organization PowerLines reported.That was more than double the same period a year earlier.
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