(The Center Square) – Most U.S. voters oppose having data centers built in their community and even more oppose the data centers if tax incentives are awarded to have them built, according to a poll released Wednesday morning by Libertas Network.

Overton Insights asked 1,200 registered voters the questions between June 23-26 on behalf of Libertas, which says it focuses on family education and policy reform as it looks to “change hearts, minds and laws to create a freer future.”

Libertas had Overton Insights ask the data center questions upon suggestion from The Center Square.

The poll asked voters specifically if they supported or opposed building new data centers for artificial intelligence in their community with 46% of respondents strongly or somewhat opposing the prospect, 36% strongly or somewhat supporting and 18% uncertain.

Of those that supported building data centers in their community, 69% still supported the idea if tax subsidies or incentives were involved to bring the data centers while 23% or those initially supportive would oppose the idea if those tax breaks were involved.

Data center projects have popped up across the country in recent years with many of those proposals including tax breaks.

The data centers are used to create the computing power for AI and to store the large amounts of information needed for those technologies but the Incentives are often opposed because, despite the large amount of money spent on the buildings, they do not require much staff and they take a large amount of energy.

The average American’s energy bill could increase from 25% to 70% in the next 10 years without intervention from policymakers, according to Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Jack Kemp Foundation.

A least 10 states are currently losing $100 million or more in taxes from data centers, according to an April report from Good Jobs First.

Data centers often require politicians to sign non-disclosure agreements during the proposal process, including keeping the name of the technology company involved along with the details of a project secret.

The secrecy occurred during the process of building a recent Indianapolis data center, according to WFYI, while the names have leaked of developers involved in several Wisconsin data center projects where state lawmakers are asking to create a data center exception to state laws on property tax captures at the sites to lure the projects to the state.

“These data centers are so big and so valuable and such a prize for a community that (state laws capping TIFs) really creates a problem,” said Wisconsin Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown.

Virginia currently has a backlog of data center projects as they complete interconnection studies to ensure they can safely attach to the energy grid.

Projects needing more than 50 megawatts of power often require transmission-level access, which adds federal oversight from PJM, the regional grid operator for Virginia and 12 other states.

(The Center Square) – As the U.S. House of Representatives takes up the now 887-page version of the reconciliation budget bill, questions on change of votes from a 215-214 decision are paramount.

North Carolina’s 14 members, through early Wednesday morning, were yet to show change. All 10 Republicans were for the House version on May 22 and all four Democrats were against it.

“If the One Big Beautiful Bill Act doesn’t pass, it will have disastrous effects on America’s fiscal trajectory,” said Republican Rep. Richard Hudson. “House Republicans are going to get this done.”

He said “the Democrats voting against it are in favor of” more than “$700 billion in wasteful Medicaid spending for illegal aliens and people who can work but refuse to, instead of America’s most vulnerable; $500 billion in Green New Deal giveaways and luxury EV credits; nearly $200 billion in SNAP waste, fraud and abuse; illegal aliens continuing to receive taxpayer-funded benefits, including Medicaid.”

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx leads the Rules Committee that immediately got the bill back on the floor for debate. Her reposts on social media did not indicate a change of heart.

“Senate Republicans passed their terrible budget bill today, so I’m back in D.C. fighting for North Carolinians and everyone who would be hurt by this cruel transfer of wealth from everyday Americans to the ultra-rich,” Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross said on Tuesday.

She joined Democratic Rep. Alma Adams’ letter to Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., with 31 other signatures requesting “harmful cuts to the federal SNAP program” be eliminated.

Reps. Tim Moore, Addison McDowell and Brad Knott indicated undoubtable favor with the Senate’s changes.

“Small businesses need the One Big Beautiful Bill’s tax relief and will suffer if Democrats succeed in stalling this historic legislation,” Knott said. “We must pass OBBB and deliver for all Americans, especially small business owners.”

He also said the “goal is simple: deliver for the American people” and cited tax relief for “individuals, families, family farms and small businesses; border security; public safety; energy security.”

There was no indication of change following the Senate passage in either direction from Republican Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Rev. Mark Harris, David Rouzer or Pat Harrigan or Democratic Reps. Don Davis and Valerie Foushee.

(The Center Square) — President Donald Trump is visiting the first large-scale state-run deportation facility in the country in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday morning.

In addition to Florida having the most state agencies and law enforcement entities participating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and being the first state to launch a program to protect ICE officers, it’s also the first to build a massive deportation facility to support Trump’s deportation efforts.

The president will meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier who proposed the location and construction of the facility.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Immigration and Custom Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons and Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie will also be in attendance.

Two weeks ago, Uthmeier proposed that the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport be used to assist with ICE deportation efforts. The 30-square mile airport owned by Miami-Dade County is located roughly 60 miles east of Miami near the Everglades National Park. Its 10,000-foot-long asphalt runway is used for military training exercises and was intended to be part of Miami’s new airport before a public outcry halted construction in 1970.

“Florida’s been leading on immigration enforcement, supporting the Trump administration and ICE’s efforts to detain and deport criminal aliens,” Uthmeier said. “The governor tasked state leaders to identify places for new temporary detention facilities. I think this is the best one, as I call it Alligator Alcatraz.”

“It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” he said. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.”

He said the facility would be ready within 30 to 60 days after construction, with the potential to house 1,000 criminal foreign nationals.

However, the first detainees are expected to arrive as early as Tuesday, and the site will be able to hold up to 3,000 at a time, Gov. DeSantis said.

In a preview with Fox News, DeSantis explained, “the state of Florida is all in on President Trump’s [mass deportation] mission.” In an effort to help federal agents with processing and staging removal operations, the state identified the airport as a base of operations.

“There needs to be more ability to intake, process and then deport,” DeSantis said. “We’ve got a massive runway where any of the federal agencies want to fly these people back to their home country, they can do it in a one stop shop.”