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Sen. Ted Cruz Wants Capitol Hill Vending Machines to Accept Crypto
If the Texas senator's resolution is passed, his congressional colleagues and Capitol Hill visitors will be able to buy some Pringles with bitcoin while burning the midnight oil.
Updated Jan 27, 2023, 8:48 p.m. Published Jan 26, 2023, 10:19 p.m.
But Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has proposed requiring vendors on Capitol Hill to accept cryptocurrency as payment.
On Wednesday, Cruz introduced a concurrent resolution that, if adopted, would require the Architect of the Capitol, the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives to only contract with food service contractors and vending machine operators that accept cryptocurrency for the Capitol complex in Washington, D.C.
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The text of the resolution was not available on Congress’ website at press time, and representatives for the one-time presidential candidate did not immediately respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.
Cruz has been a vocal supporter of the growing crypto mining industry in his home state of Texas, saying last year he wanted the Lone Star State to be an “oasis on planet Earth for bitcoin and crypto.” He has also been outspoken about the need for members of Congress to be more educated when it comes to crypto, and has publicly disclosed his own cryptocurrency holdings.
Despite his reintroduction of the pro-crypto resolution, Cruz is lagging behind other senators including Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) – all of whom have worked on major crypto-related bills.
Read more: The Bizarre (Sort of) Bipartisanship of the Crypto Congress
Update: (1/26/23 6:20PM EST) Language amended.
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