U.S. lawmakers are calling for Facebook to halt Libra development

After U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, senior Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, asked for a hearing on Project Libra in a letter to committee Chairwoman, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters. Waters, a Democrat, has called for a halt in Facebook's development of its cryptocurrency.

Waters referenced previous controversy surrounding Facebook's data policies in her statement and called its foray into the cryptocurrency a market a continuation of its "unchecked expansion" into peoples' lives.

"Regulators should see this as a wake-up call to get serious about the privacy and national security concerns, cybersecurity risks, and trading risks that are posed by cryptocurrencies," she said in a statement. "Given the company's troubled past, I am requesting that Facebook agree to a moratorium on any movement forward on developing a cryptocurrency until Congress and regulators have the opportunity to examine these issues and take action."

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Before Waters' response to McHenry's letter, McHenry said he was open to having Facebook directly testify to Congress, according to a spokesperson for the lawmaker. Now, Waters is asserting executives should testify before the committee.

Reuters' Pete Schroeder tweeted that McHenry's letter wasn't explicitly critical, but pointed out that a hearing could indicate skepticism from lawmakers.

"We need to go beyond the rumors and speculations and provide a forum to assess this project and its potential unprecedented impact on the global financial system," McHenry wrote.

Indeed, this isn't the first time lawmakers have taken an interest in a Facebook crypto. Before Libra was announced, the U.S. Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs addressed an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with questions on regulatory and privacy concerns if Facebook was pursuing a digital payment system for its platform.

About Author

Aislinn Keely is a reporter on The Block's policy team holding down the legal beat. She covers court decisions, bankruptcies, regulatory actions and other key moments in the legal sphere, putting them in context for the wider crypto industry. Before The Block, she lent her voice to the NPR affiliate WFUV and helmed Fordham University's student newspaper. Send tips or thoughts on all things policy and legal to [email protected] or follow her on Twitter for updates @AislinnKeely.