DeSantis proposes ban on Central Bank Digital Currency to prevent 'woke ideology'

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on his Legislature to pass a bill that would prohibit any federally adopted Central Bank Digital Currency from being used in the state.

"A federally controlled Central Bank Digital Currency is the most recent way the Davos elites are attempting to backdoor woke ideology like Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) into the United States financial system, threatening individual privacy and economic freedom," DeSantis' office said Monday, taking aim at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in an announcement about the proposal.

The Federal Reserve Bank said last year that it has not made a decision about whether to pursue a Central Bank Digital Currency, but it is "exploring the potential benefits and risks" of the possible new finance system.

Unlike a decentralized digital currency, a CBDC is directly controlled and issued by the government to consumers, giving government bureaucrats the ability to see all consumer activity and the power to cut off access to goods and services for consumers.

"The Biden administration’s efforts to inject a Centralized Bank Digital Currency is about surveillance and control," DeSantis also said through his office.

He says his legislation "will protect Florida consumers and businesses from the reckless adoption of a 'centralized digital dollar' which will stifle innovation and promote government-sanctioned surveillance."

The Florida governor is also calling on like-minded states to join in adopting similar bans against the digital currency.