It’s incredibly disappointing that the Department of Justice has denied my FOIA request and appeal. President Biden requested a report on how to create CBDC legislation, but the folks currently in charge have decided this information should be hidden from the public. image The issue dates back to 2022 when President Biden placed “the highest urgency on research and development efforts into the potential design and deployment options of a United States CBDC.” As part of this effort, President Biden instructed the Department of Justice to put together an “assessment of whether legislative changes would be necessary to issue a United States CBDC.” Yet, the report never saw the light of day. When it became clear that the report wasn't going to be published, I submitted a FOIA request and members of Congress wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland. Still, nothing. https://www.cato.org/blog/white-house-doj-keeps-cbdc-legislation-secret-cato-rep-hill-seek-answers I thought the change in administration might mean I would get the documents faster given how vocally opposed President Trump has been to CBDCs. Yet, instead, the request still ended in rejection. In explaining the rejection, the Department of Justice says releasing the information “would harm the interests” of the government. Given how the rise of CBDCs has increasingly become a public concern, the American people deserve to know what the Department of Justice and the White House think needs to be done to create a CBDC.

Replies (12)

SatsAndSports's avatar
SatsAndSports 2 months ago
If it used Chaumian e-cash, a CBDC could be a good thing as it would have great privacy guarantees I know the government isn't likely to want privacy, but we should remember this option and promote it If the eurozone want their currency to retain any utility, I think they should very quickly go in the direction. They need a unique selling point to remain relevant in a world of bitcoin and USD-stablecoins. Privacy could give the euro an edge
But sir, we were assured by the president during the campaign that there would never be a CBDC. Are you suggesting that he might have *gasp* lied to the American people?
I talk about this at length in my book (happy to send a copy). The short version is in what you said “the government isn’t likely to want privacy.” So by promoting a privacy minded CBDC, people end up inadvertently promoting a CBDC.