GOP Rift Grows as Defense Bill Advances Without CBDC Ban
- GOP anger rises as the defense bill progresses without the expected CBDC restriction.
- Hardliners say leadership pledged clear CBDC limits, yet the measure still vanished.
- Several Republicans now challenge the rule vote as their trust stands under strain.
Republican anger rose on Wednesday after the House passed a $900 billion defense bill without the promised ban on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC). The vote moved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the Senate. GOP lawmakers said leaders removed the anti-CBDC provision despite earlier assurances. The fight now raises a central question on how Republicans will block a must-pass bill over missing financial language.
Hardliners Challenge Leadership Commitments
A group of Republicans said the bill violated commitments made during summer negotiations. Representative Keith Self stated that the leaders gave an explicit promise to include strong anti-CBDC language in the NDAA. He wrote on X that “that promise was broken.”
Self filed an amendment on Tuesday to restore the CBDC ban. The amendment did not advance and never reached a floor vote. He said members were “forced into a take-it-or-leave-it bill.”
He added that he leaned toward rejecting the bill without the CBDC measure. He said financial freedom needed protection in statutory form. He said conservatives received assurance that the ban would stand in the final text.
Several Republicans said they were uncertain about the procedural vote. Representative Michael Cloud, Representative Ralph Norman, Representative Byron Donalds, and Representative Anna Paulina Luna did not commit to a position. Representative Tim Burchett said he would likely vote no.
Luna said the bill faced trouble because it differed from the version the House sent earlier. She pointed to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding as another source of concern.
Political Tension Builds Around Must-Pass Legislation
The NDAA runs more than 3,000 pages and carries annual military authorizations. Lawmakers often attach unrelated items to it. Those items might stall under normal legislative procedures.
In July, GOP leaders struck a deal with a group of hardliners to secure support for three crypto bills. The agreement required the NDAA inclusion of a CBDC ban. Those crypto bills stalled in a nine-hour procedural vote. Among them was the GENIUS Act. President Donald Trump urged Republicans to approve it quickly.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday. She said the Speaker failed to keep the agreement on the CBDC ban. She said she supports crypto but rejects any government control over personal financial access. She said no one should face limits on the ability to buy or sell.
Related: FDIC Moves to Propose First GENIUS Act Rules in December
Provision Details and Legislative History
The original House version of the NDAA, circulated in August, contained the CBDC ban. Multiple committee markups and amendments removed it later in the process. The dropped language blocked the Federal Reserve from testing or issuing any digital currency. It also stopped the Fed from offering financial products to individuals.
The House passed the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act in July with a narrow 219-210 vote. The bill stalled in the Senate and remains inactive.
Self said he would continue the fight. He said he would pursue a CBDC ban in the next must-pass bill. He said he wanted to ensure no federal digital currency advanced in the future.
Earlier executive actions this year already bar agencies from promoting a CBDC. Trump signed an order citing concerns about privacy and national sovereignty. Some conservatives still say statutory protections remain necessary.
