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Texas Senator Ted Cruz is facing intense backlash from constituents and social media users after defending the data center industry’s water consumption and dismissing concerns about the massive facilities as largely driven by misinformation. In a post on X Monday, Cruz shared an excerpt from his podcast in which he argued that modern data centers have adapted to environmental concerns, particularly regarding water usage. “Most data centers built today use a closed-loop cooling system, meaning they use a fraction of the water of a golf course,” Cruz said in the post, which was titled “The Chinese Communists Caught Spending Big Bucks Trying to Make You Hate Data Centers, plus Trump’s Venezuela Oil Deal.” The senator’s remarks were intended to push back against what he characterized as a coordinated disinformation campaign, but they instead ignited a firestorm of criticism from users who accused him of ignoring the real, tangible impacts these facilities are having on rural Texas communities. One user responded bluntly, “Sir, you’re starting to piss me off. For you to discount any concerns or opposition to these Data Centers as Chinese Bots and misinformation is doing a big disservice to your Constituents and frankly beneath you.” Another user wrote, “Stop deceiving people. It’s such a blatant lie. The amount of direct and indirect water and power used for these facilities is astronomical.” The backlash underscores a growing political rift over data center expansion, not just in Texas but across the country, as local communities grapple with the trade-offs between economic development, resource consumption, and quality of life.
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Cruz’s comments come on the heels of former President Donald Trump wading into the data center debate with his own inflammatory remarks, further inflaming tensions between industry advocates and local residents. Trump lashed out at data center protestors on his Truth Social platform, calling them “backwards and poor” and arguing that opposition to the facilities is antithetical to prosperity. “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump posted. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.” The former president’s framing aligns closely with Cruz’s position, presenting data centers as unalloyed economic engines and dismissing opponents as misguided or worse. However, this framing has been met with fierce resistance from residents in rural and suburban areas who have watched data centers consume vast amounts of water and electricity while providing relatively few permanent jobs. For many, the issue is not about being “backwards” but about protecting finite natural resources and ensuring that local communities have a say in how their land and water are used. The convergence of Cruz and Trump on this issue signals that data centers have become a flashpoint in national Republican politics, with party leaders increasingly siding with the tech industry against local grassroots opposition.
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The controversy adds to a growing Texas fight over data center expansion, water use, electricity costs, and local control. Texas has positioned itself as a national leader in data center development, attracting billions of dollars in investment from tech giants and cloud providers drawn by the state’s deregulated energy market, business-friendly climate, and abundant land. But that rapid growth has come with significant costs. Chron has previously reported on the expected surge in data center construction across the state, as well as the backlash from Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who has raised alarms about the strain these facilities place on Texas’ water supply and electric grid. Miller, a Republican, has been one of the most prominent voices questioning whether the benefits of data centers justify their resource consumption, particularly in drought-prone regions where water is already scarce. The issue is also reshaping the midterm elections, with candidates in both parties being forced to take positions on data center regulation, property tax abatements, and environmental oversight. Local officials in counties like Ellis, Navarro, and Kaufman have faced intense pressure from residents who worry that data centers are consuming water that should go to farms, ranches, and growing residential communities. At the same time, developers and economic development groups argue that data centers bring tax revenue, construction jobs, and infrastructure improvements that can benefit rural areas struggling with declining populations and limited economic opportunities.
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At the heart of the dispute is a complex technical debate about how much water data centers actually use and whether newer technologies have meaningfully reduced their environmental footprint. Cruz’s claim that “most data centers built today use a closed-loop cooling system” is partially accurate but misleading in important ways. Closed-loop systems, also known as closed-circuit cooling systems, do recirculate water rather than discharging it after a single use, which can significantly reduce water consumption compared to older, once-through cooling methods. However, these systems still require substantial amounts of water to operate, particularly in hot climates like Texas, where evaporative cooling is often necessary to maintain optimal temperatures for servers. Even with closed-loop systems, data centers can consume millions of gallons of water per year, depending on their size, design, and location. The comparison to a golf course is also problematic, as golf courses vary widely in water use and are often irrigated with reclaimed or non-potable water, whereas data centers typically require high-quality water for cooling and humidity control. Moreover, the electricity demand of data centers is enormous, and in Texas, much of that electricity is generated by natural gas and coal, which themselves require water for extraction and cooling. Thus, the total water footprint of a data center includes both direct water use on site and indirect water use associated with power generation. Critics argue that Cruz’s focus on closed-loop systems obscures these broader environmental costs and fails to address the cumulative impact of dozens of data centers being built in the same region.
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The political implications of Cruz’s comments are significant, particularly for a senator who has built his career on courting rural and conservative voters. Texas’ rural communities have long been the backbone of Republican electoral success, and many of those same communities are now on the front lines of the data center boom. By dismissing their concerns as the product of Chinese communist propaganda, Cruz risks alienating the very voters he needs to win re-election. The backlash on social media reflects a deeper frustration among residents who feel that their elected officials are prioritizing corporate interests over the well-being of local communities. This frustration is not limited to Democrats; many Republicans in rural Texas are deeply skeptical of data centers, viewing them as extractive industries that consume resources without providing meaningful long-term benefits. The issue has also created strange political bedfellows, with environmental activists and conservative ranchers joining forces to oppose data center development. This coalition has been effective in some areas, forcing local governments to reconsider tax abatement agreements and zoning decisions. At the same time, the data center industry has significant political clout, with major tech companies and their lobbyists working to maintain favorable regulatory conditions in Austin and Washington. The tension between these forces is likely to intensify as more data centers are proposed, and Cruz’s dismissive response to his constituents may come to be seen as a turning point in the debate.
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As the controversy continues to unfold, Chron has reached out to Cruz’s office for additional comment on data center water consumption, but no response has been provided at the time of publication. The senator’s podcast episode, which also touched on Trump’s Venezuela oil deal, appears to be part of a broader effort to frame data center opposition as a foreign-influenced attack on American prosperity. However, the evidence suggests that the opposition is homegrown, driven by real concerns about water scarcity, grid reliability, and the erosion of local control. For many Texans, the question is not whether data centers should exist, but whether they should be allowed to operate with minimal oversight and at the expense of the communities that host them. The state legislature has so far been reluctant to impose new regulations, but the political pressure is mounting. In the coming months, lawmakers may be forced to address issues such as water usage reporting, cooling technology requirements, and property tax reform. The outcome of these debates will have profound implications for Texas’ economy and environment, as well as for the broader national conversation about the true cost of the digital age. Cruz’s attempt to dismiss his critics as pawns of Chinese disinformation may ultimately backfire, galvanizing a movement that is already gaining momentum. For now, the senator’s words have only added fuel to a fire that shows no signs of burning out, and the residents of rural Texas are making it clear that they will not be silenced by accusations of backwardness or foreign influence.