The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act is H.R. 1919, a bill that would restrict the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and from conducting specified research and development on one. The House passed it 219–210 on July 17, 2025, but the Congress.gov page lists it as “Passed House,” not enacted. Its importance—and its controversy—comes from how far its limits extend: beyond issuing a CBDC to also barring certain study and development.
What is the Anti-CBDC Bill?
The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act is the short title of H.R. 1919 in the 119th Congress. Rep. Tom Emmer introduced it on March 6, 2025. The House Financial Services Committee reported it with an amendment on May 6, 2025. The text passed by the House sets limits on Federal Reserve activity involving retail financial services and central bank digital currency.
The bill’s title reflects supporters’ concern that a CBDC could be used for surveillance. The operative provisions, however, are restrictions on specified Federal Reserve activities; the title is not a finding that a CBDC would necessarily enable surveillance.
What would the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act do?
Under the engrossed House text, the bill would prohibit Federal Reserve Banks from:
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- Offering financial products or services directly to individuals.
- Maintaining accounts for individuals.
- Issuing a CBDC directly to individuals or indirectly through a financial institution or other intermediary.
It would also prohibit the Federal Reserve Board from testing, studying, developing, creating, or implementing a CBDC or a substantially similar digital asset. The Board could not use a CBDC to implement monetary policy. These restrictions make the bill broader than a rule barring issuance alone: they also reach specified research and development.
How the bill defines a CBDC
The House-passed text defines a “central bank digital currency” as digital money or monetary value that is denominated in the national unit of account, is a direct liability of the Federal Reserve System, and is widely available to the general public. It also covers substantially similar digital assets under other names.
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The text includes an exception for dollar-denominated currency that is open, permissionless, private, and fully preserves the privacy protections of U.S. coins and physical currency. The definition turns on the instrument’s characteristics and issuer, not simply on whether a payment product is digital. A private stablecoin, for example, should not automatically be treated as a CBDC under this bill.
Has the Anti-CBDC Bill passed?
Yes, the House passed H.R. 1919 by a vote of 219–210 on July 17, 2025. Congress.gov’s bill page lists the latest action as a motion to reconsider laid on the table and agreed to without objection that day, and labels the bill “Passed House.” The page does not show Senate passage or enactment. Check the Congress.gov status and actions page for any later change.
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Why is the bill important—and why is it controversial?
For supporters, the bill is a way to prevent the Federal Reserve from creating a retail digital dollar that they fear could concentrate financial power or weaken privacy and individual choice. During House debate, Rep. French Hill put the argument this way: “At stake is a fundamental choice about the future of money in America, a choice between freedom or government control.”
Opponents focus on the restrictions on research and pilots as well as issuance. During the same debate, Rep. Maxine Waters said: “It comes as a surprise to me that the last bill we will debate would block any research, pilots, or consideration about how to digitize the U.S. dollar, it is the reason that I call H.R. 1919 the anti-innovation act.”
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Those statements are competing political arguments about possible consequences, not established outcomes. The bill text itself does not demonstrate that a future CBDC would be used for surveillance, nor does it quantify the economic or privacy effects of blocking research. The practical policy choice is whether to bar the specified Federal Reserve activities now, including study and development, or leave them available for further consideration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to distinguish a CBDC from other digital money
When evaluating claims about H.R. 1919 or comparing it with another digital-money proposal, focus on four questions:
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- Who owes the money? The bill’s CBDC definition centers on a direct liability of the Federal Reserve, unlike a digital asset that is a private issuer’s liability.
- Who holds the account? The text bars direct Federal Reserve accounts and services for individuals, and separately bars issuance through intermediaries.
- How is privacy protected? Supporters’ concern is surveillance risk; the text’s exception sets a specific privacy condition for qualifying dollar-denominated currency.
- What activity is restricted? H.R. 1919 addresses not only issuance but also specified Federal Reserve study, testing, development, creation, and implementation.
These distinctions help avoid treating every digital payment, private stablecoin, or proposal to modernize payments as the same thing as a Federal Reserve CBDC.
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