Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s Flagship Legislation, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, Passes House of Representatives

(KNSI) — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, authored and led by Congressman and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06).

In a vote of 219-210, the bill prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency and codifies President Donald Trump’s Executive Order to forbid federal agencies from exploring its development.

In a press release, Emmer explained, “For years, we have worked to educate our colleagues on the dangers of this insidious technology, which would undermine our values and destroy Americans’ right to privacy. President Trump understands this threat and has already issued an Executive Order preventing the development of a CBDC. Now, we must codify it to ensure that the United States’ digital currency policy remains in the hands of the American people so that any future development of digital cash reflects our American values of privacy, individual sovereignty, and free market competitiveness. We are proud to have led this years-long effort, and thank our colleagues for their support.”

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

In January, 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.”

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