Johnson, Scalise and Higgins Should Put the AI Chip Limits in the Defense Bill

Should the best AI chips in the world be for sale to China? Most people would say no without thinking twice. Right now, a lobbying fight is going on over exactly that question.

Congress is putting together this year's defense bill. One idea on the table is the AI OVERWATCH Act, a bipartisan bill that would limit sales of the most advanced AI chips to countries like China.

The Tech Lobby wants it left out. On September 3, five tech industry trade groups sent a letter asking Congress to "reject the addition" of AI OVERWATCH. Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise were among the people copied.

To be fair, these are trade associations, not named companies. They also say their members want to keep the most advanced American technology out of the hands of our adversaries. I'm glad to hear it. But they object to putting limits in law, and they complain that the limits would last "at least eighteen months," which they call "an eternity" in AI.

I see it the other way. Rules that run out every few months get argued over again and again. If the goal is to keep this technology away from an adversary, the protection should be built to last.

China is not a normal customer. The U.S. State Department describes China's "military-civil fusion" strategy as removing the barriers between China's civilian companies and its military. The same paper says the Chinese Communist Party believes the first country to apply AI to next generation warfare will achieve military dominance.

That is our own government talking, not me. If China's leaders see AI as the key to winning a war, then the chips that run AI are not just another product. A chip sold to a Chinese company can end up helping the Chinese military, and we would be taking that risk on purpose.

I'm a Marine from Marrero, Louisiana, and I get why companies want to sell what they make. But sales are one question and national security is another, and when they pull in different directions, security should win.

AI OVERWATCH is not in the defense bill yet, and nobody should assume it gets there on its own. The people lobbying against it certainly aren't assuming that.

So my ask is for limits that last, in the final defense bill. Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana's 4th District, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of the 1st District, and Rep. Clay Higgins of the 3rd District, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, should make sure AI OVERWATCH is in it. Louisiana is counting on them.

Quin Bates 
Marrero, Louisiana

River Bend Data Center Moves From Announcement to Visible Buildout Near St. Francisville

One of Louisiana's largest artificial-intelligence infrastructure projects is moving from plans and financing into a visible construction phase, with Hut 8's River Bend campus near St. Francisville now employing more than 1,200 workers on site.

Fresh reporting from a controlled media tour of the West Feliciana Parish project shows the first phase taking shape on what had been forested hunting land. The first of four data halls is expected to begin operating in early 2027, with Phase 1 completion projected over roughly 14 to 18 months.

The construction update matters because Louisiana's data-center pipeline contains projects at very different stages. River Bend is no longer simply an announced investment: buildings, utility infrastructure and supporting systems are being constructed for a contracted customer.

A 245-Megawatt First Phase

Hut 8 announced in December 2025 that it had signed a 15-year lease with Fluidstack for 245 megawatts of information-technology capacity at River Bend. The base lease carries a stated contract value of $7 billion, with Anthropic providing the AI workload and Google providing a financial backstop for Fluidstack's obligations during the base term.

The initial 245 MW of IT capacity is supported by 330 MW of utility capacity. Hut 8 says the site could ultimately scale by as much as another 1,000 MW, although that additional capacity is potential expansion rather than capacity already built or operating.

The company has also committed approximately $16 million to expand West Feliciana Parish water infrastructure, including a new well and roughly eight miles of water main. Hut 8 has said those improvements will be transferred to the parish after completion.

Construction Jobs Now, Permanent Jobs Later

The current workforce is heavily weighted toward construction. Reporting this week puts more than 1,200 workers on the site, while the completed campus is expected to support approximately 250 permanent positions.

That distinction is important when evaluating large industrial and technology projects. Construction can create a sharp temporary increase in employment, contractor demand and local spending, while the long-term operating workforce is typically much smaller.

River Bend is nevertheless significant because it gives Louisiana an early test of whether the state's aggressive data-center recruitment can translate into completed infrastructure on schedule.

What to Watch Next

The immediate milestones are energization, commissioning and the opening of the first data hall in 2027. Longer term, the bigger question is whether the campus expands beyond its initial 245 MW commitment.

Louisiana is simultaneously pursuing other large data-center developments, and those projects are driving debates over electric generation, transmission, water infrastructure, ratepayer protections and workforce capacity.

River Bend now offers something policymakers and residents can evaluate in real time: not a rendering or future promise, but an active construction site moving toward operations.

Source Notes

Axios New Orleans, Oct. 7, 2026: https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic

Hut 8 - River Bend project page: https://www.hut8.com/data-centers/river-bend

Hut 8 AI infrastructure partnership announcement, Dec. 17, 2025: https://www.hut8.com/news-insights/press-releases/hut-8-announces-ai-infrastructure-partnership-with-anthropic-and-fluidstack

Hut 8 water-infrastructure commitment, May 19, 2026: https://www.hut8.com/news-insights/press-releases/hut-8-commits-usd16-million-to-expand-water-infrastructure-in-west-feliciana-parish