Washington, D.C. — Following reports that the Biden Administration is considering an proposal that would give Big Tech corporations federal lands to construct data centers, exceed pollution limits, and receive priority access to available power supply—with reported threats that Big Tech corporations might move to the Middle East if the White House does not comply—the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement.

“In threatening to move elsewhere if they don’t get carte blanche to build data centers in the U.S., Big Tech is attempting to extort the federal government under the guise of AI development,” said Pat Garofalo, Director of State and Local Policy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “There is no reason some of the wealthiest corporations in the world need to build their infrastructures on the backs of the American taxpayer. They’ve been successfully using similar tactics at the state and local level for years, and now they’re attempting to do it at a national scale. Make no mistake, if the White House gives into these demands, local communities across the country will see no upside from tech-related development — all while these powerful corporations continue to entrench their dominance via government handout. It’s a raw deal for the American people and the Biden Administration should reject it.”

Economic Liberties has been advocating against the use of similar threats to access public economic development money for years, including by creating the Ban Secret Deals Coalition and advocating for state and local governments to ban this exploitative practice.

Read “Ban Secret Deals: How Secret Corporate Subsidy Deals Harm Communities, and What to Do About It,” here.

Read “Big Tech Guide for State Lawmakers: Stop Subsidizing Big Tech’s Expansion” here.

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.