Cease Orwellian Surveillance and Targeting Act of 2023

The bill's primary objective is to prevent the issuance of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and to prohibit the ownership of any CBDC, foreign or domestic. The crypto evaluation framework treats CBDCs negatively, viewing them as tools that increase state power for surveillance and control. By explicitly banning a U.S. CBDC and restricting access to foreign CBDCs, this legislation directly counters what the framework considers a threat to financial privacy and individual liberty. Preventing the creation of a state-controlled digital currency removes a potential competitor to decentralized cryptocurrencies and private stablecoins, aligning with a preference for permissionless and less controlled financial systems. The bill's strong stance against CBDCs is a clear pro-crypto signal, as it seeks to protect the ecosystem from a form of digital money associated with increased government oversight.