Press Releases

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives successfully advanced his legislation, HR. 1919, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, to the U.S. Senate. The bill, which was first passed by the House in July 2025, has now been attached to the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act and awaits consideration in the Senate.

“House Republicans and President Trump recognize the threat a CBDC poses in the United States,” said Whip Emmer. “CBDCs stand against everything we love in this country - privacy, freedom, and free market competition. We must never allow this weaponized surveillance tool to be adopted here. The House has done its job; it’s time for the Senate to pass our CBDC ban.” 

Background:

On July 17, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Emmer’s legislation by a vote of 219-210. 

Unlike decentralized cryptocurrencies, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is a digital form of sovereign currency that is designed and issued by a central government and transacts on a digital ledger that is controlled by that government. Fundamentally, a CBDC is government-controlled, programmable money that if developed without the privacy protections of cash, could give the federal government an unprecedented ability to surveil Americans’ financial transactions and suppress politically unpopular activity.

The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act defends against this threat by prohibiting the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC directly to individuals, or indirectly through intermediaries, preventing the Fed from becoming a retail bank with access to individual citizens’ financial data. It makes clear that the Fed cannot use any CBDC to implement monetary policy, preventing it from using the technology to manipulate the American economy. Finally, it requires that Congress pass legislation authorizing any government-created digital dollar, safeguarding private sector innovation and any future development of digital cash.

In January of 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology which prohibits federal agencies from establishing, issuing, or promoting CBDCs. The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act codifies this Executive Order and guarantees that future administrations are unable to weaponize the technology against the American people.