Senator Ted Cruz filed an amendment targeting a CBDC ban built into the Senate’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. His goal is clear: strip the expiration date and make the prohibition stick permanently.
The housing bill already blocks the Federal Reserve from issuing a retail central bank digital currency. But that block dies on December 31, 2030, unless Congress acts. Cruz wants the date gone entirely.
According to Eleanor Terrett on X, @SenTedCruz filed the amendment to strike the sunset provision on the CBDC ban, with the Senate expected to hold a series of votes on the legislation next week. Terrett added that sources close to Cruz confirmed he is actively pushing for a vote on the amendment.
A Ban With an Expiry Date Cruz Will Not Accept
Cruz introduced the Senate version of the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act last year, a companion to the House bill led by GOP Majority Whip. That legislation was built specifically to block Federal Reserve-issued digital dollars over surveillance and privacy concerns.
His amendment to the housing bill follows that same line. The existing CBDC provision in the housing package was originally proposed by Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren as part of Title X of the 303-page legislation. It bans the Fed from directly or indirectly issuing a retail CBDC through any financial intermediary. The sunset clause though was always the sticking point.
Those aligned with Cruz argue a temporary ban is barely a ban. A future Congress could simply wait it out. Making the prohibition open-ended removes that option.
The Housing Bill Carrying a Digital Dollar Fight
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is primarily a housing supply package. It covers zoning reforms, manufactured housing standards, and federal financing updates. The CBDC ban embedded inside it was always the outlier provision, a digital currency fight grafted onto housing policy.
As Terrett also reported on X, the CBDC language that missed the National Defense Authorization Act last year resurfaced inside this housing bill. The provision bans the Fed from issuing a retail digital dollar to consumers through any intermediary. Cruz’s amendment now seeks to remove the one condition that gave it an end date.
The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act passed the House in a narrow 219-210 party-line vote but has not cleared a full Senate vote as a standalone bill. The housing vehicle may be Cruz’s best near-term path to locking in a permanent prohibition.
Senate floor votes on the broader housing package are expected next week. Whether the amendment survives will come down to how many colleagues Cruz can pull toward a permanent ban over the current 2030 structure.
