Texas National Security Council

Protecting Texas through policy & partnerships that strengthen our economy, secure infrastructure, and defend against threats.

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

Your personal data does sit in real buildings and where those buildings are is important. Texans care about personal data security and national security. China cares about China. Thank you Sen. @TeamBettencourt for raising this important point.
#TXLege

[Team Bettencourt @TeamBettencourt]

Today in Senate Finance, led by Chair @joanhuffman we dug into the EXPLOSIVE growth of data centers in Texas and per @isaiahemitchell below... When did this occur?

HERE ARE THE FACTS:
-335 data centers operating across Texas RIGHT NOW
-Texas is #2 in the nation, behind only Virginia
-The industry has grown far faster than anyone expected when the exemption was first put in place

Data centers got started in Texas in 2013, but the hockey stick hit in 2021 as COVID accelerated the digitization of our entire economy! Remote work made “where you sleep” more important than “where you work,” and demand for data usage at home EXPLODED!

Here’s something the public should know: whether it says “AI” on it or not, these data services are already everywhere in Texas. On a recent trip to Florida, every app I used - airlines, hotels, restaurants, gas stations - ran on "the cloud." As @txcomptroller Chief Revenue Estimator Brad Johnson said: "The cloud is NOT in the atmosphere."

Some people may not know this, but we have @PhilKingTX to thank, as he authored SB 6 last session, letting Texas lead the way with AI Data Centers!

It’s physical: servers and storage in real buildings... That’s why data center physical security matters just as much as cybersecurity.

The exemption helped attract this industry. Now the cost to taxpayers has grown into the billions, and it’s our job to take a hard look at whether the benefits still justify the costs! #txlege

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

Good neighbors make great Texans.

We applaud the data center developers and stakeholders who are stepping up and joining Governor @GregAbbott_TX’s commitment to responsible development in Texas — putting communities first, respecting our resources, and recognizing that being part of Texas means being a good neighbor.

Texas can lead the nation in the technologies that will define our future while protecting the people, communities, and resources that make our state exceptional.

Responsible growth and strong communities go hand in hand.

Good Neighbors. Great Texans.

#txlege

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

Good neighbors make great Texans.

Galaxy’s response to Governor @GregAbbott_TX’s data center directive is a model for the industry. Reliable power, protected ratepayers, responsible water use, and real investment in neighboring communities are the right priorities, and Galaxy has built its Helios campus in Dickens County around them from day one.

This is what it looks like to grow Texas’s digital economy the right way.

#txlege

[Galaxy @galaxyhq]

Galaxy supports Gov. Abbott's directive calling on the PUC and ERCOT to vet and audit data center projects connecting to the Texas grid. These are the right priorities, and they're the ones we've built Helios around from day one. https://t.co/qaZpAn6hvd

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

The message from Governor @GregAbbott_TX is simple: Texas wants legitimate, responsible data center development that protects Texans’ resources and quality of life.

#txlege

Listen ⬇️ ⬇️

[Dennis Bonnen @SpkrBonnen]

Earlier this summer, Gov. Abbott established statewide standards to ensure data center development does not come at the expense of families & communities. On Monday, he called for an audit of all projects to protect every Texan.

I joined KXAN to discuss his bold directives.

⬇️

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

We agree. Responsible growth is the right standard for data centers.

#txlege

[MARA @MARA]

We appreciate @GregAbbott_TX's leadership in bringing greater transparency and accountability to data center development in Texas.

Common sense rules reward the operators building the right way, and that's the standard we hold ourselves to. Learn more:
https://t.co/pIQjeeYJII

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

https://t.co/S4qwBOnUhd

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

ANSWERING THE POWER CHALLENGE

While critics claim data centers will strain the grid, NRG is proving the opposite is possible: their new 1.2-GW Bring Your Own Power plant means the data center brings its OWN generation, adding more power to the grid than it consumes.

Here’s what that means for Texans: this plant will add real power to the grid, not just pull from it, and it’s built to keep the lights on whether it’s running connected to ERCOT or on its own. Ratepayers are protected too. The project’s costs are covered by the data center itself, not by everyday Texas families.

This is what responsible data center infrastructure looks like: generation and demand growing together, not one outpacing the other.

Texas doesn’t have to choose between innovation leadership and grid reliability. We can achieve both!

#txlege

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

https://t.co/uzH5EXlSKe #TXLege

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

TNSC adds grid and community leadership experts. Read all about the new members of our team below:
#TXLege

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

Texas has always been built on two enduring principles: strong private property rights and a belief in free markets.

Those same principles should guide how we approach data center development. Property owners should have the freedom to use their land. And reasonable guardrails (ratepayer protections, closed-loop water systems, and sensible noise and light mitigation) should help ensure growth is responsible and communities are protected.

Protect property rights. Let the free market work. Put smart guardrails in place where they’re needed. That’s the balance that built the Texas Miracle, and it’s how we keep it thriving.

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

DATA CENTER FACT VS FICTION

FICTION: Data centers only benefit Big Tech.

FACT: Data centers power everyday life.

They keep hospitals connected to patient records, process secure banking transactions, support manufacturers, and make it possible to stream movies, use GPS, back up photos, and access online classrooms.

Every digital service has to live somewhere.

Today’s data centers are essential infrastructure — just like power plants and water systems. As demand for AI, cloud computing, and digital services grows, so does the need for the facilities that power them.

They’re not just for Big Tech. They’re the backbone of the modern economy.

#txlege

[KSEV Radio @KSEVRadio]

🚨 State Sen. @PhilKingTX just laid out why America — and Texas — cannot afford to fall behind China and Russia in the AI race.
Data centers are the new oil. If we lose this battle, we lose jobs, security, and our technological edge.

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

Data centers aren’t the enemy — they’re the opportunity.

U.S. Energy @SecChrisW23 sits down with to break down what’s really at stake for communities:

✅ Major tax revenue for police, schools & parks
✅ Lower energy costs
✅ One Georgia town ELIMINATED property taxes entirely

The choice is simple: engage now, or watch your community get left behind.

#datacenter #propertytaxrelief #datacenteropportunity #innovation #energy #txlege

[American Energy Institute @4AmericanEnergy]

.@SecretaryWright joined @glennbeck to explain how AI infrastructure is driving down prices in communities all over America as it brings billions in investment.

The decline in costs is not just from utilities, but also in taxes such as property taxes, which a community in Georgia was able to eliminate because of an AI facility

[Brian Morgenstern @MorgensternNJ]

You don’t hate data centers. You just forgot what life was like without them.

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

Data Centers Are Critical Infrastructure!

Testifying before the TX House Natural Resources Committee, national security expert Michael Lucci of @StateArmor laid out a chilling reality: Chinese AI tools are already showing signs of being weaponized.
According to a defense contractor's report, when Chinese AI tools suspected they were responding to an American government employee or contractor, exploitable coding errors spiked by as much as 130%.

Separately, CrowdStrike's 2025 research found that simply using politically sensitive terms like "Tiananmen Square" or "Taiwan" triggered a 40% jump in insecure code from Chinese-owned DeepSeek.

Now connect the dots: these are the same kinds of AI systems and inputs that could touch our military defense systems and the infrastructure controlling our energy grid.

Data centers must be secured on American soil. And Texas is the national leader for powering these systems our country depends on.

Watch the testimony below.

#TXlege #DataCenters #NationalSecurity #EnergyGrid

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

“There was important testimony yesterday at the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs with Chair @ColeHefnerTX. They examined foreign adversary influence operations and the risks they pose to critical infrastructure. The threat from abroad is real and sophisticated, including cyber intrusion, remote-access vulnerabilities, and influence campaigns. One more reason why it’s important to have secure data centers here in Texas.” - Steven C. McCraw, TNSC national security expert #TxLege

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

We hear you @SenPhilKingTX. Our experts and members are doing that every day in communities across Texas. Bringing facts and open dialogue instead of Facebook theories and platitudes. #txlege

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

Texans are being misled to believe banning data centers is a win. But how does that work when the ban unplugs your bank’s fraud alerts, your phone’s GPS, your doctor’s telehealth visit, and the weather warning that could save your family’s life during the next storm? Not to mention your everyday conveniences.

A data center ban doesn’t stop “Big Tech” — it shuts down the critical infrastructure Texas families and businesses use every single day.

Texas needs responsible guardrails, not policies that cut off the digital backbone of modern life.

[Texas National Security Council @TXNatSecurity]

"Excellent, well-documented piece by Michael Lucci. He lays out clearly how foreign influence operations are amplifying opposition to Texas data centers using the same playbook previously used against U.S. energy.
Worth reading in full." - TNSC's National Security expert, Col. Steve McCraw
#TXLege

https://t.co/Xzy0Or6Gza