The House Financial Services Committee debate highlights the tension between libertarian lawmakers and the national security state.
During a March 5 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, US Representative Sean Casten, an Illinois Congressperson, argued that “crypto-friendly rules” threaten US national security.
The lawmaker made the remarks while debating H.R. 1716, the “Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act of 2025,” accusing President Donald Trump and Elon Musk of dismantling Anti-Money Laundering and financial surveillance laws. Casten added:
“And yet my colleagues would make it easier to use crypto, reduce the oversight, and make it easier to traffic money,” the lawmaker continued.
