Concerns Rise Over U.S. Financial Surveillance and Digital Currency Legislation

According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Representative Warren Davidson has expressed concerns about the direction of the United States' financial system, warning that it is moving towards a heavily surveilled and permissioned model. Davidson criticized recent cryptocurrency legislation, particularly the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act, which he argues undermines the original promise of cryptocurrency as a permissionless and private form of money. In a post on X, Davidson highlighted his apprehensions about the GENIUS Act, suggesting that it could pave the way for a wholesale version of a U.S. dollar central bank digital currency (CBDC). He warned that such a system could be used for surveillance, coercion, and control. Davidson also voiced fears about the potential implementation of a digital ID system that would require Americans to obtain government permission to access their own funds. He urged his followers to reject what he described as a globalist surveillance state and to return to the foundational principles of cryptocurrency, emphasizing Bitcoin's original intent as a permissionless, peer-to-peer payment system. Davidson, who has been a strong advocate for permissionless money, self-custody, and privacy since he began representing Ohio in 2016, has introduced various legislative measures aimed at limiting state control over cryptocurrency. These include efforts to criminalize CBDCs and a proposal to remove then-Securities and Exchange Commission chair, Gary Gensler. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene shares Davidson's concerns, having voted against the GENIUS Act. She argued that the legislation grants excessive power to banks and creates a potential pathway for a CBDC. Greene echoed Davidson's warnings about the dangers of digital IDs, CBDCs, and the lack of self-custody. Both Davidson and Greene have shown more support for the CLARITY Act, which is currently awaiting passage in the Senate and is expected to be reviewed in early 2026. Davidson noted that the CLARITY Act promises to address some of the GENIUS Act's shortcomings by protecting self-custody and incorporating other provisions from the House. However, he cautioned that with the GENIUS Act already in effect, any changes to individual freedoms resulting from the CLARITY Act may be largely superficial. Davidson concluded by stating that the future of money will shape the future itself, and without significant intervention, that future appears to be one of permissioned, surveilled, and debased financial systems.