Crypto’s Original Promise At Risk As US Lawmaker Flags Growing Financial Surveillance
Rep. Warren Davidson warned this week that the United States is shifting towards a monetary system that may be licensed, permissioned and closely monitored — a change he says would undercut the unique promise of permissionless, non-public cash.
He used social posts to flag the priority and urged colleagues to rethink how new guidelines for stablecoins and digital IDs are written.
Lawmakers Flag The GENIUS Act
The debate facilities on the GENIUS Act, a federal invoice that creates a framework for fee stablecoins and associated providers. Based on experiences, the GENIUS Act (S.1582) established guidelines that may let sure nonbank companies difficulty fee stablecoins underneath federal supervision.
The invoice’s textual content and summaries present it goals to make clear who can difficulty these tokens and the way they have to function. Critics say the technical design might let a authorities or bank-backed system run like a wholesale CBDC.
What’s happening in crypto? Flat or declining markets. Definite vibe shift… A number of ideas.
Markets have stalled, in my view, as a result of the disintermediation use case has been successfully destroyed in America. An account-based trade provides no distinct benefit over the…
— Warren Davidson
(@WarrenDavidson) December 31, 2025
Privacy Fears And Legislative Pushback
According to Davidson’s posts, the issue shouldn’t be stablecoins themselves however how the foundations could possibly be used to construct a backend that behaves like a digital greenback underneath tight management. He warned that an account-based mannequin tied to digital id might let authorities monitor or restrict transactions.
Reports have additionally pointed to different payments and votes going by way of Congress that affect this debate, and Davidson has a report of pushing anti-surveillance measures comparable to laws associated to banning programmable CBDCs.
A History Of Bills And Statements
Davidson shouldn’t be alone in elevating alarms. Other members of Congress have questioned how new legal guidelines would possibly reshape custody, banking roles, and who will get to difficulty digital cash.
Some lawmakers argue that clearer guidelines will appeal to banks and convey client protections, whereas opponents say those self same guidelines might shift financial energy to massive monetary companies and make on a regular basis funds extra traceable.
Public information present hearings and committee exercise on digital funds and CBDC penalties had been held in 2025 as Congress weighed these insurance policies.
What Comes Next For Crypto Policy
Based on experiences, the struggle over stablecoin construction and digital id is more likely to proceed on Capitol Hill and in public remark durations. Supporters of federal readability say predictable guidelines decrease danger for customers and for the monetary system.
Critics like Davidson say that predictability shouldn’t come at the price of private privateness or the appropriate to self-custody. Media shops masking the story word that the talk spans coverage, know-how and civil liberties, and that lawmakers will face strain from banks, tech companies, the crypto trade and privateness teams.
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(@WarrenDavidson)