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In a bold stand against potential government overreach, Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) filed an amendment on December 9, 2025, to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, aiming to prohibit the Federal Reserve from developing, testing, or issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Dubbed the “Anti-CBDC Surveillance State” provision, it revives language originally promised by House GOP leaders but mysteriously omitted from the 3,086-page compromise bill unveiled Sunday—sparking conservative fury over a perceived broken pledge from Speaker Mike Johnson.
Self’s amendment, building on text authored by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, explicitly bars federal funds for any CBDC implementation, including pilots or prototypes. It carves out exceptions for “open, permissionless” digital dollars akin to decentralized cryptocurrencies, preserving innovation without centralized control. Self tweeted: “Promises were broken to include this language in the NDAA. My amendment would fix the bill,” vowing to vote against the $901 billion NDAA without it—a must-pass measure funding military pay raises, shipbuilding, and munitions.
Conservative holdouts, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), and Greg Steube (R-Fla.), echo Self’s concerns:
1. **Privacy Erosion:** A CBDC could enable real-time transaction tracking, turning the Fed into a surveillance tool and eroding cash’s anonymity.
2. **Banking Upheaval:** It might disintermediate commercial banks, slashing lending and destabilizing credit markets.
3. **Cyber Vulnerabilities:** Centralized ledgers risk massive hacks or outages, exposing the economy to foreign adversaries.
4. **Liberty Threats:** Programmable money could allow authorities to impose spending limits, freeze assets, or enforce compliance—echoing dystopian controls.
These fears intensified after the omission, with Greene warning: “CBDC inserts the government between you and your money.”
The Fed has explored a digital dollar since 2021 via Project Hamilton, touting faster payments and cross-border efficiency to rival China’s e-CNY. Boston Fed President Susan Collins reiterated in November 2025 that no launch is imminent without congressional greenlight. Yet, amid Trump’s crypto-friendly administration, Self’s push aligns with broader GOP skepticism, including a stalled standalone CBDC ban bill.
Passage could derail U.S. CBDC ambitions indefinitely, boosting decentralized cryptos like Bitcoin as privacy havens while shielding traditional finance from disruption. It amplifies the innovation-vs.-oversight tug-of-war: proponents see CBDCs as global competitiveness boosters, but critics fear a slippery slope to financial authoritarianism. With the House Rules Committee advancing the NDAA for a Wednesday floor vote—amid mutiny threats—outcomes hinge on GOP unity.
Self’s amendment injects high-stakes drama into the NDAA, forcing a reckoning on digital dollars amid broken promises and privacy alarms. As conservatives demand fixes, this could safeguard financial sovereignty—or doom the bill to delays. For citizens and crypto enthusiasts, it’s a pivotal front in the battle for monetary freedom, with ripples for payments, policy, and portfolios far beyond Capitol Hill.
