A Texas Congress Member is asking the federal government to consider installing cryptocurrency cash machines in federal buildings as a way to help promote pro-digital assets pushed by President Donald Trump.
Representative Lance Gooden asked the head of the General Services Administration – the agency that maintains the government’s buildings and real estate – to investigate putting the automated tellers in these facilities as a “signal to the public that the government is embracing innovation in a safe and responsible way” according to a Thursday letter reviewed by Coindesk.
“Expanded accessibility to crypto money machines in federal buildings adapts to President Trump’s vision of placing the United States as a global leader in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology,” he said.
GSA already hosts some traditional ATMs in a few of its facilities, according to its site.
The letter requested GSA -functioning administrator Stephen Ehikian reviews the feasibility of executing the proposal in a way that includes “clear guidelines for installing and operating crypto money machines, focusing on robust identity verification measures and transparency in transaction fees.”
This proposal lands as the units have drawn the attention of their use in fraud, and inspiring senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois democrat, to push to crypto atm fraud prevention that would set limits on major transactions. And New Jersey weighs a new bill that requires ATM operators to warn users of potential scams and provide live customer service.
At least one of the ATM operators, Bitcoin Depot, reported last month that transactions and revenue from the machines were down, even when Bitcoin (BTC) traded grew during the recent increase in price.
Good’s committee tasks do not put him in direct contact with the crypto legislation, which is currently moving through Congress, although the lawyer group stands with crypto has given him an “A” character for the friendliness of the industry. As a beginner congressman in 2019, the Good was co-author of a bill to declare that administered stableecoins should be regulated by Securities and Exchange Commission, but recently co-sponsored legislation that opposed a U.S. central bank’s digital currency (CBDC)-in compliance with industry in the general opposition from the Government Digital Dollar.
