Anti-CBDC Bill Retroactively Combined with Crypto Market Structure Legislation

• House combines Anti-CBDC bill with CLARITY Act ahead of Senate review.
• Senate to advance its own crypto bill despite House’s retroactive move.
• Anti-CBDC provisions remain key in ongoing crypto regulatory debates.

The Anti-CBDC bill has been retroactively combined with the crypto market structure legislation known as the CLARITY Act in a new procedural measure passed by the House of Representatives. This move merges the previously separated bills and sets the stage for their next step: Senate review. Although this action may be largely symbolic, it serves as an ongoing effort by the House to advance the Anti-CBDC bill alongside broader crypto regulations.

The Anti-CBDC bill and the CLARITY Act were passed separately in the House in July 2025. The Anti-CBDC bill, introduced by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), is intended to prohibit the Federal Reserve from creating a central bank digital currency. This bill passed largely along party lines, with most Republican members supporting it. On the other hand, the bipartisan CLARITY Act, designed to overhaul cryptocurrency market regulation, gained support from both parties, including 78 Democrats.

Republicans within the Financial Services and Agriculture Committees initially opposed combining the two bills on the House floor. Their concerns stemmed from fears that merging the two bills could jeopardize bipartisan support for the CLARITY Act. Despite these objections, a faction of GOP hard-liners pushed for combining the Anti-CBDC bill with the CLARITY Act to advance both measures.

Retroactive Combination: House’s New Move

In the latest procedural vote, the House voted to combine the Anti-CBDC bill with the CLARITY Act retroactively. A spokesperson for House Financial Services Chairman French Hill stated that this combination was a significant move in advancing the goals of both bills. “By combining both measures and sending them to the Senate, the House continues to advance both priorities,” said Brooke Nethercott, Hill’s spokesperson.

While this action is intended to send a strong message to the Senate, it may not change much in terms of legislative impact. The Senate is already working on its version of the cryptocurrency market structure legislation, which includes anti-CBDC provisions, rendering the House’s combined vote somewhat symbolic. The Senate’s bill, called the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, will likely be debated separately and will require broad support to pass.

The Senate’s Role in the Debate of the Anti-CBDC Bill

The House’s decision to combine the Anti-CBDC bill with the CLARITY Act may not have a major impact on the Senate’s progress. The Senate’s version of the crypto market structure bill, the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, is expected to move forward on its own track, with the necessary support from both Republicans and Democrats.

While the Anti-CBDC bill is part of the House’s effort to advance crypto regulations, the Senate is expected to continue crafting its own legislation. This includes provisions that align with the anti-CBDC bill’s goals, but the Senate will likely take its own approach to the matter.

Next Steps for the Legislation

The combined Anti-CBDC bill and CLARITY Act will be sent to the Senate, where its fate will be determined. Given the Senate’s own plans for crypto regulation, it remains unclear how the House’s retroactive combination will influence the final outcome.

With both chambers of Congress working on separate but related legislation, the ultimate resolution on the Anti-CBDC bill may take time to unfold. As the debate continues, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will be closely watching the Senate’s response to the Anti-CBDC bill and its implications for the future of digital currencies in the U.S.