Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act

The Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act () was introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) on June 15, 2007, and was then referred to the Committee on Financial Services. If passed, the bill would abolish the Federal Reserve Board and repeal the Federal Reserve Act.

Bill summary
The Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act would abolish the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System at the end of a one year period from the date that the bill was enacted. The Federal Reserve Act would be repealed at the end of one year. Assets and liabilities of the Board would be liquidated or assumed by the Secretary of the Treasury. A one-year winding up process would be allowed in which the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System would continue to manage the Bank's employees.

Past legislation
Rep. Ron Paul sponsored the act in the 106th, 107th, and 108th Congresses, though it never made it out of committee and it never received any co-sponsors.

Introductory remarks
Rep. Paul originally proposed the act as a means of introducing "legislation to restore financial stability to America's economy by abolishing the Federal Reserve". He argued,
Since the creation of the Federal Reserve, middle and working-class Americans have been victimized by a boom-and-bust monetary policy. In addition, most Americans have suffered a steadily eroding purchasing power because of the Federal Reserve's inflationary policies. This represents a real, if hidden, tax imposed on the American people.

From the Great Depression, to the stagflation of the seventies, to the burst of the dotcom bubble, every economic downturn suffered by the country over the last 80 years can be traced to Federal Reserve policy. The Fed has followed a consistent policy of flooding the economy with easy money, leading to a misallocation of resources and an artificial "boom" followed by a recession or depression when the Fed-created bubble bursts.

To the U.S. House of Representatives
On September 10, 2002, Rep. Paul addressed the U.S. House of Representatives saying,

"Abolishing the Federal Reserve will allow Congress to reassert its constitutional authority over monetary policy. The United States Constitution grants to Congress the authority to coin money and regulate the value of the currency. The Constitution does not give Congress the authority to delegate control over monetary policy to a central bank. Furthermore, the Constitution certainly does not empower the federal government to erode the American standard of living via an inflationary monetary policy."

"In fact, Congress' constitutional mandate regarding monetary policy should only permit currency backed by stable commodities such as silver and gold to be used as legal tender. Therefore, abolishing the Federal Reserve and returning to a constitutional system will enable America to return to the type of monetary system envisioned by our nation's founders: one where the value of money is consistent because it is tied to a commodity such as gold. Such a monetary system is the basis of a true free-market economy."

Articles and resources

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu