A four-year ban on the development of a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC) is included in a housing affordability bill that was passed Monday night (June 22) by the Senate. Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. The bipartisan bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, passed the Senate on a vote of 85 to 5 and now heads to the House for consideration, CoinDesk reported Monday.

The provision banning a CBDC was added by Republican politicians who are concerned that the technology could be used for government surveillance, though there has been no push by the Federal Reserve, Congress or the Federal Reserve to develop a CBDC, the report said. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 that prohibits any effort to develop a CBDC, according to the report. Cointelegraph also reported on the provision banning a CBDC until 2030 and said the housing bill is likely to quickly be passed by the House and sent to the President for his signature. The report said the CBDC clause was added to the bill to help secure House Republican support for its passage. The text of the bill published on Congress.gov says that “the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or a Federal reserve bank may not issue or create a central bank digital currency or any digital asset that is substantially similar to a central bank digital currency directly or indirectly through a financial institution or other intermediary.” It adds that this provision “shall not prohibit any dollar-denominated currency that is open, permissionless and private, and fully preserves the privacy protections of United States coins and physical currency.” When a version of the bill that includes the anti-CBDC provision was passed by the Senate in March, The Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone said his organization applauded the move. “Financial privacy is a cornerstone of American freedom, and any decision to authorize a Central Bank Digital Currency must remain with Congress and the American people,” Carbone said in a March 11 post on X. “We appreciate the Senate reinforcing that digital innovation in the United States should be led by the private sector while protecting individual liberty.” Lawmakers Fast-Track Bipartisan Housing Bill With CBDC Ban Syndio Accelerates Agentic AI Roadmap With Embrace.ai Buy Physical AI Is Forcing Insurers to Start From Scratch Meta Targets Prediction Market Demand With Play Money Platform