Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, released the following statement on the status of ongoing negotiations on the bipartisan stablecoin legislation:

I want to thank the Ranking Member and his staff for working with me, my staff, Treasury, and key regulators on legislation that would better regulate stablecoins and require the Federal Reserve to research and develop a central bank digital currency, so we remain competitive globally.

I would also like to thank the Committee members for their thoughtful engagement on this issue. Under my leadership, we have held several subcommittee hearings on digital assets as well as a series of full Committee hearings that were planned in a bipartisan manner with the Ranking Member, including with the CEOs of the largest crypto companies and key government experts.

Although the Ranking Member, Secretary Yellen and I have made considerable progress towards an agreement on the legislation, we are unfortunately not there yet, and will therefore continue our negotiations over the August recess. It’s critical that we continue moving the ball forward on this so we can have a regulatory framework that protects consumers, while allowing for responsible innovation. I look forward to coming to an agreement in the near future and marking up bipartisan legislation when we return from recess.

Background:

On May 9, 2019, Chairwoman Waters announced the creation of the Committee’s Task Forces on Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence. April 21, 2021, the Committee reauthorized the Task Forces on Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence for the 117th Congress. 

On July 17, 2019, Chairwoman Waters held a hearing entitled, “Examining Facebook’s Proposed Cryptocurrency and Its Impact on Consumers, Investors, and the American Financial System,” which explored Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency and its effects on consumers, investors and the United States.

On October 23, 2019, Chairwoman Waters held a hearing entitled, “An Examination of Facebook and Its Impact on the Financial Services and Housing Sectors,” where Committee members questioned CEO Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook’s proposed stablecoin product and digital wallet.

On June 15, 2021, the Task Force on Financial Technology held a hearing entitled, “Digitizing the Dollar: Investigating the Technological Infrastructure, Privacy, and Financial Inclusion Implications of Central Bank Digital Currencies,” which discussed potential design trade-offs for a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), and examined consumer privacy implications and the potential for increased financial inclusion.

On June 16, 2021, Chairwoman Waters announced the establishment of the Digital Assets Working Group (DAWG) of Democratic Members to examine digital assets-related policy and legal issues in a comprehensive manner.

On June 16, 2021, the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy, chaired by Representative Himes, held a hearing entitled, “Schemes and Subversion: How Bad Actors and Foreign Governments Undermine and Evade Sanctions Regimes,” which investigated how cryptocurrencies, CBDCs, and other digital assets may offer new avenues for sanctions evasion and other financial crimes.

On June 30, 2021, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by Representative Green, held a hearing entitled, “America on ‘FIRE’: Will the Crypto Frenzy Lead to Financial Independence and Early Retirement or Financial Ruin?” which focused on investor protection concerns with cryptocurrency market exchange activities.

On July 21, 2021, the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions, chaired by Representative Perlmutter, held a hearing entitled, “Banking the Unbanked: Exploring Private and Public Efforts to Expand Access to the Financial System,” which explored proposals like FedAccounts, which could require the Fed to establish digital transaction accounts, based on a CBDC, that could be provided to consumers through depository institutions and the U.S. Postal Service, or directly to consumers.

On July 27, 2021, the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy held a hearing entitled, “The Promises and Perils of Central Bank Digital Currencies,” which explored the risks of CBDCs from a national security and monetary policy perspective.

On December 8, 2021, the full Committee held a hearing entitled, “Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Understanding the Challenges and Benefits of Financial Innovation in the United States,” featuring testimony from CEOs of the largest digital assets companies, including Circle, FTX, Paxos, and Coinbase Inc.

On February 8, 2022, the full Committee held a hearing entitled, “Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: The President’s Working Group on Financial Markets’ Report on Stablecoins,” with Nellie Liang, Under Secretary of Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of Treasury, who testified about the rapid growth of stablecoins and the findings from the “Report on Stablecoins” by the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (PWG).

On April 28, 2022, the Task Force on Financial Technology held a hearing entitled, “What’s in Your Digital Wallet? A Review of Recent Trends in Mobile Banking and Payments,” which explored the legal and regulatory framework governing digital wallets holding various types of digital assets in custody and on behalf of consumers, as well as relevant consumer protections implications.

On May 26, 2022, the full Committee held a hearing entitled, “Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Examining the Benefits and Risks of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency,” with Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve, Governor Lael Brainard, testifying on the Federal Reserve’s recent research and development efforts on a U.S. CBDC.

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