Ing. Pietro Maiorana
After the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, Democrats control both the House and the Senate. According to the Washington Post, Bloomberg and Reuters, reported by the tech press, they are preparing investigations into Apple, Meta, Elon Musk's companies and NVIDIA. Committee powers will kick in with the new Congress, starting January 3, 2027. This matters because companies that bet on the alliance with Trump now risk hearings, document requests and new rules on AI and data centers.
A few terms before we get into the facts. Midterms are the mid-term elections of a presidential term, which renew Congress. Subpoena is the order by which a committee compels the delivery of documents or testimony. Moratorium is a temporary halt to an activity, here the construction of data centers. Antitrust refers to the rules that monitor market concentration and abuse. Super PAC refers to committees that raise funds to support candidates.
Who is in the crosshairs of the investigations?
According to the Washington Post, cited by Punto Informatico, Democratic representatives and senators have already planned investigations into Apple, Meta and Elon Musk's companies. According to Bloomberg, NVIDIA and its CEO Jensen Huang will also be targeted. The newspaper mentions a 181-page dossier listing the companies (the source attributes it to the "Washington Sun", probably a mistake in the masthead).
Several law firms, the Washington Post writes, are offering to advise Musk, convinced he will receive a barrage of subpoenas. The planned method starts with formal requests to the administration, which will almost certainly not respond, and then moves on to the individual companies.
Why are Apple and NVIDIA under scrutiny?
According to 9to5Mac, which relays Reuters and the Washington Post, Apple is in the crosshairs over apps linked to ICE, the federal immigration agency. Last year the company removed ICEBlock and similar apps from the App Store after pressure from the Department of Justice. The text refers to "hosting" of apps used by ICE, a wording a reader finds ambiguous.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, future chair of the permanent investigations subcommittee, has asked Apple and the other donors to the White House ballroom to hand over documents, otherwise they risk subpoenas in January. Apple and NVIDIA each pledged 25 million dollars.
For NVIDIA, according to the Democrats, the charge is not doing enough against chip sales to China. Attention is also on the licensing deal with Groq, which could be a disguised acquisition to avoid antitrust controls. On a related topic, Congress had already summoned Huang.
What happens to data centers and AI?
According to Agenda Digitale, Ballotpedia counts 46 favorable outcomes for restrictions out of 47 local measures decided in 2026, provisional data that also include advisory referendums. Alhambra, in California, approved a ban with 82% of the vote.
At the federal level Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced in March the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, which suspends new AI centers until national safeguards exist. It remains a proposal, like all the texts cited as of November 6. The issue also touches Europe closely, as covered in this deep dive on data centers.
The front is however divided. The FRONTIER Act, introduced in July by Democrat Lori Trahan and Republican Jay Obernolte, provides for independent audits and incident reporting without halting research.
How are companies and the White House reacting?
According to TechCrunch, OpenAI hired Jessica Schumer, daughter of Senator Chuck Schumer, and calls its data centers "compute campuses". J.B. Branch of Public Citizen speaks of "PR washing". Meta's president Dina Powell McCormick said one must work with the government chosen by Americans.
The White House reiterates that US leadership in superintelligence is essential. For its part, the administration created a task force in December to challenge state AI laws. According to Aryan Ranjan of Baraza, over the next two years rules could depend more on where one operates than on Washington.
Limits to know
Almost everything rests on journalistic leaks passed along by secondary sources. The 181-page dossier has not been published and its attribution is uncertain. No bill has been approved. With a White House of the opposite color and a likely deadlock, many proposals may never reach a vote. Apple has not commented, and the wording about hosting ICE-related apps remains unclear.
What changes for those working in digital
If you work with American cloud, AI or platform providers, expect more regulatory uncertainty. Rules could differ from state to state, with effects on prices and service availability. This applies to anyone using models such as those from OpenAI, already under pressure in the US. It is worth mapping which services you depend on and how much it would cost to replace them. Those who handle customer data should document where it resides, because document requests and audits are the common thread of the proposals.
Our take
The investigations risk being partly political revenge, and the Italian source says so without beating around the bush. Still, the links between donations and regulatory favors deserve scrutiny, regardless of party color. The idea of halting data centers is weaker, since it shifts the problem rather than solving it. The most interesting fact is that tensions over energy and electricity bills have become political. For Europe it is a warning – dependence on American choices is never neutral.
Frequently asked questions
When do the investigations into Big Tech start?
From January 3, 2027, with the new Congress taking office. From then on Democrats will chair the committees and will be able to summon company leaders and request documents.
Which companies are involved?
According to the sources, Apple, Meta, Elon Musk's companies and NVIDIA. OpenAI and other AI companies are also cited in the debate over regulation.
Why is Apple in the crosshairs?
Because of apps linked to ICE and a 25 million dollar donation to the White House ballroom. Blumenthal has requested the documents, otherwise it risks subpoenas.
Will data centers be blocked?
Not yet. There is only a moratorium proposal introduced in March by Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. At the local level, however, many referendums have already approved restrictions.
What does this mean for Italian businesses?
For now, no direct effect. The risk is rules that differ from state to state and greater instability for those who depend on American AI and cloud services.
What to watch after January 3, 2027
The first acts of the new Congress will show whether these are announcements or real investigations. Document requests and the first hearings will matter most.
- Follow whether the first subpoenas arrive for Apple, NVIDIA and Musk.
- Check which proposals, such as the FRONTIER Act, win bipartisan votes.
- Watch the moves of the states and of the federal task force on local AI laws.
Sources
- punto-informatico.it, Big Tech USA nel mirino dei democratici, possibili indagini
- techcrunch.com, From the front row to the hot seat — what the midterms mean for Big Tech
- 9to5mac.com, Report – Apple faces congressional scrutiny over ICE tracking apps and Trump donations
- agendadigitale.eu, Big Tech sotto pressione – le mosse dei democratici dopo le midterm
