Trump signs executive order declaring national emergency for US power grid security
An executive order has officially been signed by President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in order to secure the US bulk-power system.
The order was signed by the president in the Oval Office yesterday (August 26) which declared that Trump’s highest duty is to protect the ‘national security, foreign policy, and economy’ of the US.
The order claimed: “Certain foreign actors are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in the United States bulk-power system, which provides the electricity that supports our national defense, vital emergency services, critical infrastructure, and economy.
“During my first term, I found that the bulk-power system could be a target of those seeking to commit malicious acts against the United States, including malicious cyber activities, because of the significant risks that a successful attack would have on our economy, human health and safety, and national defense.”
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The president went on to state that the growth of ‘advanced manufacturing, data centers, artificial intelligence, and defense production’ has further increased the country’s dependence on abundant, reliable electricity, effectively magnifying the ‘consequences of a successful attack or supply disruption on the bulk-power system’.
In real terms, this move will block US companies from importing or buying up certain parts for the bulk-power system that are foreign-made.
The impact of AI on the US
In the order, Trump directly mentions the expansion of AI being one of the causes for this vulnerability.
This comes after Elon Musk discussed the impacts of AI on the future of the US during an appearance on the Dwarkesh Podcast earlier this year.
Musk said: “In the absence of AI and robotics, we’re actually totally screwed because the national debt is piling up like crazy.”
He went on to say that the interest payments being paid on the national debt are higher than the entire budget for the US military, claiming that the only thing that can solve the problem is the advancement of AI.
Musk continued: “It’s the only thing that could solve the national debt. We are 1,000% going to go bankrupt as a country, and fail as a country, without AI and robots.
“Nothing else will solve the national debt. We just need enough time to build the AI and robots to not go bankrupt before then.”
The billionaire - and briefly trillionaire - went on to say: “My prediction is that by far the cheapest place to put AI will be space in 36 months or less, maybe 30 months. Mark my words.”