Tech leaders sign "rate payer protection pledge" at signing ceremony

A lawmaker opened an afternoon signing ceremony saying America’s largest technology companies had formally signed a "rate payer protection pledge" that, officials said, will "help keep down utility bills very, very substantially." The lawmaker described the moment as the fulfillment of an announcement made in the State of the Union address last week.

The pledge, the lawmaker said, is a "historic win for countless American families," and was presented as part of a broader effort linking advances in artificial intelligence with measures to limit upward pressure on electricity prices. "We're gonna win in AI, and we're gonna stop the rise in electricity prices because of the 7 leaders that are sitting around this table," an agency official said.

A company representative addressed the lawmaker during the ceremony, saying, "Mister president, we wanna be on your team to deliver a big win for the American people," and emphasizing that the effort focuses on people rather than products. The representative added that AI infrastructure "must be powered by abundant and affordable energy if it is to benefit all Americans."

An agency official said the administration is "using every tool at our disposal to ensure that the U.S. can build and maintain the largest, most powerful, and most advanced AI infrastructure anywhere on the planet," framing the pledge as aligned with federal priorities on technology and energy.

Speakers characterized the signing as mutually advantageous for the government, industry and consumers. The remarks in the transcript recorded the pledge and public statements of support; no formal votes or subsequent procedural steps were included in the recorded remarks.