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US Senate passes bipartisan housing bill with Fed digital‑dollar ban
The U.S. Senate approved the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a vote of 85‑5. The legislation combines more than 45 housing reforms – expanding incentives for new construction, streamlining environmental reviews, raising loan limits for multifamily housing, and restricting large institutional investors from buying single‑family homes – with a new provision that prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing a retail central‑bank digital currency (CBDC) through December 31 2030. The ban carves out an exemption for open, permissionless stablecoins such as USDC and Tether.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R‑SC) and co‑authored with Democratic ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D‑MA), now moves to the House for final approval before being sent to President Donald Trump for signature. Its passage marks a rare bipartisan effort on housing policy and a distinctive U.S. stance against a government‑backed digital dollar, contrasting with ongoing CBDC projects in the EU and China.