Texas Rep. Keith Self moves to bolt an ‘Anti-CBDC Surveillance State’ CBDC ban onto the 2026 defense bill, testing Trump’s order and GOP unity on digital dollar policy.
Summary
- Rep. Keith Self filed an NDAA amendment to bar the Fed from testing, piloting, or issuing any U.S. CBDC, branding it an ‘Anti-CBDC Surveillance State’ measure.
- The move follows Trump’s 2025 executive order halting CBDC work, as Republicans seek a statutory ban they say future administrations cannot easily reverse.
- House conservatives cite China-style surveillance fears and warn support for the $900 billion defense bill could erode if the CBDC ban is denied a floor vote.
Representative Keith Self, a Texas Republican, has filed an amendment to the $900 billion U.S. Defense Bill that would prohibit the Federal Reserve from creating or piloting a central bank digital currency (CBDC), according to statements made on December 9, 2025.
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The amendment, described by Self as an “Anti-CBDC Surveillance State” proposal, would bar the Federal Reserve from testing, developing or launching any form of CBDC. Self stated that promises to include similar language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) were not honored in the final compromise text.
“Promises were broken to include this language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). My amendment would fix the bill,” Self said in his statement. He added that the House Rules Committee was scheduled to meet to determine whether the amendment would receive a floor vote.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump characterized CBDCs as a “dangerous threat to freedom” and pledged to prevent the implementation of a Federal Reserve-operated digital dollar. In 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies not to develop or promote a U.S. CBDC.
Republican lawmakers have sought to establish a permanent legislative ban on CBDCs through amendments to the NDAA, citing concerns that executive orders can be reversed by subsequent administrations. Self stated that conservative lawmakers had received assurances that anti-CBDC language would be included in the defense authorization bill.
Republican opponents of CBDCs have argued that such a system would provide the federal government with enhanced surveillance capabilities, drawing comparisons to digital payment systems in China. Concerns have been raised about potential government monitoring of transactions and the possibility of blocking payments based on political or social criteria.
Some Republican lawmakers have indicated they may withdraw support for the defense bill if the amendment does not receive a floor vote, according to reports.
The House of Representatives passed two related pieces of legislation in July 2025: the CLARITY Act and the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act. Neither has been enacted into law. The Anti-CBDC bill seeks to permanently prohibit any form of U.S. central bank digital currency, while the CLARITY Act addresses regulatory jurisdiction between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over cryptocurrency markets. The CLARITY Act also includes provisions for consumer protections and proposes regulatory frameworks for decentralized finance and stablecoins.
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