November 17, 2025
Programmable Money
By: Idaho Representative Heather Scott
As your representative, I’m committed to keeping you informed about issues facing government that could impact our daily lives, our freedoms, and our state’s sovereignty. Because of this commitment, I want to share information on a rapidly evolving financial technology: programmable money. This isn’t just a concept; it is a new financial technology that is gaining ground across the country and world. It is important that we understand what it is and how it can be used because of its major implications for our privacy, personal wealth, personal freedom, and state sovereignty.
Programmable money is digital currency that can follow instructions, (like money with built-in rules). Instead of being a neutral tool that you can use freely and privately, this kind of currency is designed to obey commands written directly into the code. Programmable money is designed to control and limit your financial behavior in ways traditional money never could. The code embedded inside the currency can dictate:
- What you are allowed to buy (ex: only approved groceries or no firearms)
- Where you can spend the money (ex: only within state border or at specific companies)
- When the money expires (ex: value vanishes after 30 days)
- Who you can transfer the money to (ex: only verified recipients)
- How government benefits must be used (ex: no cash withdraws)
This isn’t hypothetical. It is already happening. Major banks, tech companies, and central banks are already testing versions of it and piloting systems that can enforce spending conditions automatically. Programmable money is showing up in several areas of finance, including Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), blockchain-based “smart contract” systems, programmable payment tools used by major banks, and digital wallets that governments or agencies use to distribute specific types of benefits.
Supporters say programmable money can speed up payments, reduce fraud, improve auditing and tracking, ensure government benefits are spent exactly as intended and automate taxes or fees. In other words, the rules can follow every dollar and every dollar can be used to control behavior. While these features may sound practical, they fly in the face of what has made our country great, freedom and personal sovereignty. They clearly come with serious trade-offs and risks like:
- Government monitoring of every transaction
- “Geofencing” dollars to specific areas, limiting travel or commerce
- Bans on purchasing certain goods (think firearms, fuel, or even books)
- Tracking every purchase you make
- Account freezing based on political views or compliance
- Forced expiration dates for your savings or wages
- Elimination of cash, disproportionately harming rural communities without reliable internet
Freedom loving Idahoans should be concerned right now, as programmable money opens the door to complete financial control. This technology erodes the very liberties Idahoans value most: privacy, independence, and free economic choice. Programmable money combined with digital IDs create complete digital control by a government (think China-social scores).
You may be surprised to learn that programmable-money systems already exist in several private markets such as VISA programmable-payment APIs, JPMorgan’s “JPM Coin” and blockchains, FedNow conditional-payment integrations, Apple/Google Wallet restrictions, and Smart-contract tokens on Ethereum.
No CBDC is active in the U.S. yet, but federal agencies are actively researching the framework. States across the country (Florida, Texas, Montana, Tennessee, and South Dakota) have introduced or passed bills to block the use of CBDCs or programmable currency inside their borders. I am currently working on an Idaho solution because we must stay ahead of this issue and defend citizen privacy.
Programmable money is not just a technical issue; it’s a freedom issue. While it could streamline some financial systems, it also carries the potential for the most powerful financial control system ever created. Idaho must protect our people, our privacy, and our way of life.
Stay informed, and let’s keep Idaho free from ideas and technology that wants all control and no freedom.
