US lawmakers warn temporary CBDC ban isn’t enough, demand 'permanent' block

US lawmakers said any ban on issuing a US CBDC must “be permanent,” warning that creating one would be “inherently anti-American.”

A group of US lawmakers is uniting to prevent the US central bank from ever issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), warning that proposed legislation only delays it until 2031.

“We write to you to express the dire need to prohibit a Central Bank Digital Currency from ever happening in the United States,” US Congressman Michael Cloud wrote in a letter on Friday addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson and US Senate majority leader John Thune, joined by 28 other members of Congress in support.

It follows a proposed amendment to the Federal Reserve Act that would bar the US central bank from issuing a CBDC until 2031. The amendment is part of the 300-page “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act” (HR 6644), which was released on Monday by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

However, Cloud and the other lawmakers argued that the temporary block isn’t strong enough to protect Americans.

“A prohibition of a Central Bank Digital Currency must be permanent,” the letter said, adding that CBDCs “would expose Americans to unconstitutional financial surveillance and give the unelected Federal Reserve unprecedented power over Americans’ finances that would violate their civil liberties and financial freedom.” 

“A CBDC is inherently anti-American and a looming issue we must put an end to before it is too late,” the letter said.

The lawmakers argued that the amendment “includes a watered-down version” of the “Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act” (HR 1919), which was introduced in June 2025 by Congressman Tom Emmer.

The bill passed the House on July 17 but has yet to receive full Senate approval. 

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The letter pointed out that the amended bill does not prohibit the Federal Reserve from studying a CBDC. “The strong language of H.R.1919 must be restored,” the letter said.

A separate standalone bill, the No CBDC Act (S 464), was introduced by Senator Mike Lee in February 2025 to prohibit the Federal Reserve or Treasury from issuing a CBDC, but it stalled in Congress.

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Source: CoinTelegraph