A sweeping U.S. housing bill that bars the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency until 2030 became law at midnight without President Donald Trump's signature.
Key Points:
- The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law automatically after Trump neither signed nor vetoed it within the 10-day constitutional window.
- The law blocks the Fed from issuing a CBDC, or any substantially similar digital asset, through Dec. 31, 2030.
- Analysts warn the standoff could foreshadow trouble for the CLARITY Act later this summer.
CBDC Ban Takes Effect
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan package aimed at boosting home construction and curbing corporate landlords, took effect automatically at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday after the president neither signed nor vetoed it. The 10-day constitutional clock started on Jun. 29, when House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered the legislation to the White House. Under the Constitution, a bill becomes law without a signature if the president takes no action for 10 days while Congress stays in session.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday morning that he would not sign the measure, writing, "I will not sign the Housing Bill." He cast the refusal as a protest against the Senate's failure to pass the SAVE America Act, his proposed voter identification bill that would require in-person proof of citizenship to register.
The legislation cleared Congress by veto-proof margins, passing the Senate 85 to 5 and the House 358 to 32. Lawmakers folded a provision into the package that blocks the Fed from issuing a CBDC, or any substantially similar digital asset. The restriction runs through Dec. 31, 2030.
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Warren Reaction, Crypto Stakes
A White House official confirmed that Trump did not plan a formal veto, even though he had earlier scheduled a signing ceremony and then abruptly scrapped it. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who backed the bill, said the "good news" was that it would become law anyway.
Trump's post never mentioned the CBDC language.
Crypto firms have long opposed a digital dollar, and industry allies argued the idea could open the door to government surveillance while crowding out private stablecoins. The Fed itself showed little appetite for one, saying any launch would require explicit approval from Congress. Analysts still warned that the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which the Senate hopes to pass this summer, could face a similar standoff if Trump again ties his signature to unrelated election demands.
The new restriction extends a fight that has run through Trump's second term, which began with a January 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to halt work on a digital dollar. CBDC objections from House Republicans also briefly derailed stablecoin legislation that year before the GENIUS Act ultimately passed, and the housing law now locks the ban in statute through the end of 2030.
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