The “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act,” a bipartisan measure aimed at making housing in the U.S. more affordable, cleared a key cloture vote on Monday.
The bill includes a provision prohibiting the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC through the beginning of 2031.
The U.S. Senate's comprehensive housing bill seeking to temporarily ban the issuance of central bank digital currency (CBDC) has cleared a procedural hurdle with strong bipartisan support.
The "21st Century ROAD to Housing Act" is a bipartisan Senate housing affordability package to boost housing supply in the U.S. and make it more affordable. It passed a key cloture vote in the Senate today, 84-6, on the motion to proceed, which limits debate and clears the way for full Senate debate.
Tim Scott, the chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren said in a statement that the bill would be the largest legislative housing package in decades, and become a "good first step" to stop corporate landlords from dominating the market.
While the bill focuses on protecting the housing market, it mentions CBDC near the end of the 303-page document that was released ahead of the cloture vote.
In Title X, Section 1001, the bill stipulates that the Federal Reserve may not issue or create a CBDC or a similar digital asset, through Dec. 31, 2030. However, it noted an exception for any dollar-denominated currency that is "open, permissionless, and private, and fully preserves the privacy protections of United States coins and physical currency."
While the inclusion of the anti-CBDC provision in the housing bill may be unusual, it is an example of a legislative strategy where unrelated policies are attached to a broader, more critical piece of legislation. House Republicans reportedly pressed for the anti-CBDC provision to be included in the bill.
The White House also reportedly stated support for the legislation, highlighting both housing and CBDC-related provisions.
The Administration highlights the inclusion of presidential priorities … to halt the development of a Central Bank Digital Currency that could pose significant threats to personal privacy and liberty," the statement said.