Constitution Index · H.R. 1919 · 2025-03-06

Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act

Latest official status (2025-07-17): Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Official source ↗

Constitutional grade

A

Constitutional

This bill is fully constitutional. It restricts federal authority, protects individual privacy and financial autonomy, and does not infringe any enumerated rights. It properly leaves monetary policy and digital currency decisions to Congress and the states, and it prevents federal surveillance through a central bank digital currency.

Article I, Section 8, Clause 5 Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 Amendment IV Amendment X

SI-generated grade · passed automated checks (real Constitution citation, language rules) · not individually reviewed by a person · methodology · Report an error: hello@valuesforamerica.com

The five checks

Enumerated powers · passes

The bill restricts the Federal Reserve's authority, which is a creature of Congress. Congress has the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof (Article I, Section 8, Clause 5) and to make all laws necessary and proper for executing its enumerated powers (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18). Prohibiting the Federal Reserve from offering CBDCs is a valid exercise of Congress's power to define and limit the scope of federal monetary authority. The bill does not expand federal power; it contracts it.

Bill of Rights · passes

The bill does not infringe any of the first ten amendments. It actually protects Fourth Amendment rights by preventing the federal government from creating a surveillance-capable digital currency that could track individual financial transactions without a warrant. It does not restrict speech, religion, assembly, press, petition, arms, quartering, self-incrimination, due process, takings, trial rights, or cruel and unusual punishment.

Individual liberty · passes

The bill enhances individual sovereignty by preventing the federal government from offering CBDC accounts directly to individuals, thereby preserving the ability of individuals to use private financial institutions and cash without federal surveillance. It does not restrict any individual's person, property, speech, labor, or belief. The burden of justification is on the government, and here the government is being restrained, not empowered.

Decentralization · passes

The bill passes all four questions of the decentralization test. (1) Individuals can handle their own financial transactions without a federal CBDC. (2) Local communities and counties can handle financial services without federal involvement. (3) States can handle monetary and financial matters without federal involvement, as they have historically. (4) The bill does not consolidate decision-making upward; it pushes decision-making downward by prohibiting federal intrusion into individual financial accounts. It does not violate the Tenth Amendment; it reinforces it.

Due process and takings · passes

The bill does not bypass due process or take property without just compensation. It does not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. It merely prohibits the Federal Reserve from offering certain products and services. It does not affect existing property rights or contractual obligations.

Provenance

Grade ID
490
Rubric version
vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0
Graded
2026-10-10 14:20 UTC
Engine
backup SI engine
Source fetched
2026-10-08 09:43 UTC
Source SHA-256
9cd5a4c6c48a1e199658478cb4ffc593467c8a99941361a0f09608ed721aa290
Checks
si-editorial-standard/1.0: real Constitution citation, language rules

Version history · never overwritten

GradeGradedRubric Source hashStatus
A · #490 2026-10-10 vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0 9cd5a4c6c48a current

Cite this

Values for America. “Constitutional grade: H.R. 1919, Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act.” VFA Constitution Index, grade 490 (rubric vfa-constitutional-grade/1.0), graded October 10, 2026. https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution-index/grades/490. Accessed 2026-10-19.

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