A faction of Republicans is expressing outrage following the US House’s approval of a substantial defense spending bill on Wednesday, which excluded a ban on central bank digital currencies, despite prior commitments to incorporate it.
“Conservatives were assured—explicitly—that robust anti-Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) provisions would be part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). That assurance was broken,” GOP Representative Keith Self wrote on X on Wednesday.
The House voted 312-112 in favor of the NDAA on Wednesday, advancing the $900 billion military funding bill to the Senate with hopes of passing it by year’s end.
Self had proposed an amendment on Tuesday to reinstate a CBDC ban that was stripped from the bill; however, it failed to progress and did not get a vote on the House floor.
Self stated that a coalition of Republicans was “guaranteed that anti-CBDC language would be included. Instead, we are faced with a take-it-or-leave-it bill that breaks that promise. Without that language, I’m inclined to reject it.”
This over 3,000-page bill is deemed essential legislation and often includes non-defense-related amendments that would otherwise face delays or significant revisions if passed as independent measures.
In July, House Republican leaders brokered an agreement with a faction of party hardliners to include a CBDC ban in the defense spending bill after these members refused to support three cryptocurrency bills unless a CBDC ban was confirmed.
These bills were delayed during a record-breaking nine-hour procedural vote and included the GENIUS Act for regulating stablecoins, which President Donald Trump urged the GOP to expedite.
Related: Does GENIUS turn stablecoin issuers into stealth buyers of US debt?
GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday for failing to uphold his promise regarding a CBDC ban, emphasizing her support for cryptocurrency while stating, “I will never support giving the government the ability to control your financial transactions.”
An earlier version of the House bill released in August included a CBDC ban before being subjected to amendments through several markups and committees.
The provision language prohibited the Federal Reserve from testing, studying, developing, or issuing any digital currency or asset, and would also have blocked the central bank from directly offering financial products or services to individuals.
In July, the House passed the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, which prohibits CBDCs, by a narrow margin of 219-210, although it remains stalled in the Senate.
Self asserted he would “continue to advocate in the next crucial bill to ensure that a CBDC never becomes a reality. Financial freedom is non-negotiable.”
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