A group of U.S. lawmakers is pushing to bar the Federal Reserve from ever issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), arguing that a temporary ban is insufficient. In a letter Friday, Rep. Michael Cloud — joined by 28 colleagues — urged House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to enact a permanent prohibition, calling a CBDC “inherently anti‑American.”
The move responds to a proposed amendment to the Federal Reserve Act that would block the Fed from issuing a CBDC only until 2031. That amendment appears in the 300‑page “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act” (H.R. 6644), released by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Lawmakers say delaying issuance until 2031 leaves the door open for later action and fails to protect Americans’ financial freedoms.
“A prohibition of a Central Bank Digital Currency must be permanent,” the letter states, warning that a CBDC could enable unconstitutional financial surveillance and grant the unelected Federal Reserve unprecedented control over Americans’ finances. The lawmakers contend the amendment is a watered‑down version of the Anti‑CBDC Surveillance State Act (H.R. 1919), introduced by Rep. Tom Emmer and passed by the House on July 17, but not yet approved by the Senate. They say the stronger language of H.R. 1919 should be restored because the current amendment still permits the Fed to study a CBDC.
Separately, Sen. Mike Lee introduced the No CBDC Act (S. 464) in February 2025 to prohibit the Fed or Treasury from issuing a CBDC, but that bill has stalled in Congress.
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