U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is spearheading an effort to enact a permanent ban on a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). He has filed an amendment to the Senate's 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that would remove a sunset clause currently set to expire on December 31, 2030, thereby making the prohibition indefinite.
Independent journalist Eleanor Terrett confirmed on X that Cruz plans to push for a vote on the amendment, designated as SA 4318, next week. The amendment specifically strikes lines 15-16 on page 302 of a prior amendment (No. 4308) proposed by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), which originally established the temporary ban.
Cruz's move aligns with his 2025 Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, which similarly sought to block Federal Reserve-issued digital dollars. He and other critics, including Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, argue that a CBDC poses significant risks to financial privacy and could enable government surveillance and control over citizens' spending habits. Luna has warned of a potential "nasty" legislative conflict if the Senate sends a bill with only a temporary ban to the House, which has already passed the companion to Cruz's Anti-CBDC Act in a narrow 219-210 vote.
The underlying housing bill, introduced on March 2, 2026, is a bipartisan effort focused on zoning reform, building incentives, and streamlining permits to address the U.S. housing crisis. Cruz's CBDC amendment highlights how digital currency policy is becoming entangled with broader, unrelated federal legislation.
Opponents of a permanent ban worry it could hinder the United States from advancing its financial infrastructure and leveraging potential CBDC benefits like financial inclusion, faster transactions, and lower costs. Globally, over 100 central banks are researching CBDCs, with 11 countries having launched a fully functional digital currency.
