A Housing Bill with a Crypto Clause U.S. House and Senate leaders have struck a bipartisan agreement on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that carries a si
U.S. House and Senate leaders have struck a bipartisan agreement on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that carries a significant provision for the crypto industry. Congressional negotiators folded a statutory ban on a Federal Reserve central bank digital currency into the bill, blocking any Fed-issued retail digital dollar until December 31, 2030.
Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott, Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren, House Financial Services Chair French Hill, and Ranking Member Maxine Waters released the updated bill text, codified as H.R. 6644.The bill cleared the House on May 20, 2026, with a 396-13 vote, following the Senate's 89-10 approval in March.
The housing bill includes language stating the Federal Reserve may not, directly or indirectly, "issue or create a central bank digital currency or any digital asset that is substantially similar to a central bank digital currency." The clause expires on December 31, 2030, and creates a carveout for crypto stablecoins, or "dollar-denominated currency that is open, permissionless, and private."
The anti-CBDC provision sits alongside an executive backdrop that already disfavors a digital dollar. Trump's January 2025 executive order on digital financial technology barred federal agencies from establishing, issuing, or promoting CBDCs.
The inclusion of a CBDC ban in a major bipartisan bill signals that opposition to a U.S. digital dollar has gained traction across Congress. For the crypto industry, the provision reinforces Washington's current preference for privately issued digital dollars, including stablecoins, over a government-issued alternative.
For stablecoin issuers like Circle and Tether, a delayed government digital dollar removes a potential competitor from the landscape for years, as a Fed-issued CBDC would have directly competed with private stablecoins for payments, settlements, and dollar-denominated digital transactions.
Not everyone is satisfied with the deal as structured. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, argues "CBDCs are bad for everyone" and has pushed for the ban to be made permanent, rather than allowing it to sunset at the end of 2030. The deal also clears the decks for Congress to focus on other legislation before the August recess, in particular the crypto-regulating CLARITY Act that many lawmakers have been pushing to advance.
House Republican leaders plan to put the bill up for a vote after the House returns from recess on June 23, according to two people familiar with the plan.
Sources:The Defiant: Congress Strikes Housing-Bill Deal That Bans Fed CBDC Through 2030The Block: Senate, House Reach Agreement on Housing Bill Banning CBDC Through 2030Bipartisan Policy Center: What's Next for Housing Legislation in the 119th Congress?
