US House to Consider Adding CBDC Ban to Market Structure Bill

Highlights:

• The US House is set to merge the anti-CBDC bill with the CLARITY Act in a retroactive move before sending it to the Senate.
• The Senate is preparing to advance its own Responsible Financial Innovation Act, distinct from the combined House measure.
• Debate over the CBDC ban will shape negotiations as both chambers pursue separate paths on digital asset oversight.

The US House of Representatives has voted to retroactively combine two previously separate measures into a single legislative package. Lawmakers agreed to merge the anti-CBDC bill, which prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. They also combined it with the CLARITY Act, which is a market structure bill for digital assets. Both bills had cleared the chamber in July, but through different votes.

🇺🇸 USA: the House pushes to block CBDCs

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a retroactive ban on the Federal Reserve issuing a CBDC. The idea is to integrate the ban into an already approved bill on crypto market structure.

This strategy would make the CBDC ban an… pic.twitter.com/uPny5mDM4x

— Atlas21 (@Atlas21_news) September 17, 2025

The engrossment method allows the anti-CBDC measure to be inserted into the market structure legislation before it advances to the Senate. This approach follows earlier discussions in which Republicans considered similar moves when voting on the GENIUS Act. That bill focused specifically on stablecoins. At that time, disagreements on including a CBDC prohibition delayed the process before the August recess.

The anti-CBDC bill was largely passed on party lines, with the Republican lawmakers being strong supporters. On the other hand, the CLARITY Act received bipartisan support, with 78 Democrats voting in favor of the bill. Some Republicans were initially opposed to merging the two bills. They feared it would undermine the larger market structure policy. Despite these concerns, a faction of GOP members pushed for the combination to strengthen momentum behind both initiatives.

Brooke Nethercott, spokesperson for House Financial Services Chairman French Hill, said the decision underscored the chamber’s priorities. “By combining both measures and sending them to the Senate, the House continues to advance both priorities,” Nethercott stated.

Senate Debate and CBDC Ban Provisions

Attention now shifts to the Senate, where lawmakers are preparing to debate their own version of digital asset legislation. The chamber’s bill, called the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, includes provisions related to a CBDC ban. Unlike the combined House measure, the Senate’s version remains distinct and builds upon elements of the CLARITY Act without directly adopting it.

The Responsible Financial Innovation Act of 2025 could reshape crypto in the U.S.

The Act:
✅ Defines when tokens are securities vs commodities
✅ Requires disclosures for token issuers
✅ Allows banks to custody & trade digital assets
✅ Creates a sandbox for startups
✅… pic.twitter.com/X6v8Oe5WfK

— Coinchange (@coinchangeio) September 15, 2025

Senator Cynthia Lummis, a key backer of the Senate plan, signaled that the Banking Committee intends to move the bill forward. The committee aims to advance it by the end of September. Although the proposal has not been officially put to a vote, Republicans plan to take the proposal forward in the near future. The legislation may become law in 2026 if President Donald Trump signs it after it passes both chambers.

Republicans currently hold slim majorities in both the House and Senate. However, passing the measure will likely require support from some Democrats. The inclusion of anti-CBDC elements has already drawn debate, with Democrats pressing for stronger safeguards around the digital asset industry. They have also raised concerns over what they describe as Trump’s family connections to crypto projects, including American Bitcoin, World Liberty Financial, and his personal memecoin.

Next Steps for the Legislation

The joint bill is now to be considered by the Senate. It is not clear what the effects of it might be since the Senate is already developing its own structure that would solve the same problems. It will require lawmakers in the two houses to iron out differences in an effort to have a single approach enacted.

As both camps take parallel actions, the discussion on the legitimacy of the central bank digital currencies and the regulation of crypto as a whole is likely to persist. The coming weeks will determine whether the House’s move influences the Senate’s path or remains largely symbolic.