Elizabeth Warren once said CBDCs have a “great promise” – Now she’s helping block it
Elizabeth Warren, long one of crypto’s sharpest critics and an early supporter of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), helped advance a bipartisan housing bill that bars the Federal Reserve from issuing a retail digital dollar through at least 2030. The Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act 85-5, mainly to expand housing supply, ease permitting, and limit some private-equity home buying. Buried in the bill is a CBDC restriction that also blocks any substantially similar digital asset without new congressional approval. The move reflects compromise to secure major housing legislation, not a clear abandonment of the CBDC idea. Its practical impact is limited for now because the Fed was only in the research stage and the Trump administration had already halted CBDC development. Still, turning the ban into law makes it harder for a future administration to reverse. The U.S. position now stands in contrast to most of the world, where CBDC development remains widespread.
