Trump Holds Up CBDC Ban Through 2030 as He Demands a Voter-ID Law

U.S. President Donald Trump is withholding his signature from a sweeping housing bill that would bar the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) through 2030. He is tying the measure to a separate voter-eligibility law that the Senate has already rejected.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed both chambers of Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate cleared the package in an 85-5 vote on June 22, and the House followed with a 358-32 vote, sending the bill to the president. Trump cancelled a planned signing ceremony, saying he will not sign until Congress sends him a measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The CBDC provision bars the Federal Reserve from issuing, creating, or circulating a central bank digital currency through December 31, 2030. It explicitly exempts private dollar-denominated stablecoins that are “open, permissionless, and private,” shielding tokens from companies like Circle and Tether.

The voter-ID legislation Trump demands is the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, which failed its most recent Senate vote on June 4, falling 48-50. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has signaled he is unlikely to bring it back this session, leaving the standoff without an obvious resolution.

Because the housing package passed both chambers with margins well beyond the two-thirds veto override threshold, the ban is widely expected to become law in the coming days regardless of a signing ceremony. The digital-asset industry hailed the Senate vote as one of its clearest legislative wins of the year.

Trump laid the groundwork for the prohibition in January 2025 with an executive order barring administration work on a retail digital dollar, warning it could threaten financial stability, privacy, and U.S. sovereignty. The push to block a U.S. digital dollar comes as stablecoins have become a central battleground in Washington. Lawmakers passed the GENIUS Act in July 2025 to regulate payment stablecoins, and six federal agencies are racing to finalize rules by a July 18, 2026 deadline.

Internationally, more than 130 countries have explored CBDCs, including China with its digital yuan. A four-year U.S. ban would leave the world’s largest economy on the sidelines of a technology its geopolitical rivals are actively deploying. The next step is whether Trump relents, Congress revisits the voter bill, or the housing package becomes law without a presidential signature.

Source: https://news.bitcoin.com/trump-holds-up-cbdc-ban-through-2030-as-he-demands-a-voter-id-law/