U.S. independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a bold makeover for his eventual administration: To put the entire U.S. budget on the blockchain.
Speaking on April 21 at a rally in Michigan, Kennedy observed that blockchain would play a significant role in making the government more transparent. He asserted that putting the budget on a blockchain would allow every American to look at “every budget item anytime they want, 24 hours a day.”
The facilitation of everyday payments on a publicly distributed ledger could hold leaders accountable, Kennedy postulated. Theoretically, taxpayers can see how the government spends their tax dollars across what would be countless transactions inscribed every day.
“We’re gonna have 300 million eyeballs on our budget, and if somebody is spending $16,000 for a toilet seat, everybody’s gonna know about it,” the 70-year-old longtime environmental lawyer and Kennedy family scion explained.
Numerous members of the crypto community on X praised the blockchain plan, with some saying the move would be transformational and curb corruption.
One noted that transparent public accounting might arguably be the best use case for blockchain tech besides the supply chain: “Checks and balances in our government doesn’t work if the branches are in on the corruption together (president and congress particularly) it’s time the people hold them accountable.”
“Most Americans have no idea how transformative that would be. This is what the founders of the nation would have done if they had the tech. This is key to creating a government we can trust,” another user wrote.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And Bitcoin
This is not the first time Kennedy has spoken favourably of Bitcoin. He previously vowed that, should he win the presidency, he would exempt Bitcoin from capital gains taxes and begin backing the U.S. dollar with BTC reserves.
The presidential hopeful further lauded Bitcoin as a “currency of freedom” and revealed that he had purchased a total of 14 Bitcoins — two for each of his seven children.
Kennedy has also previously denounced Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), calling them “instruments of control and oppression” that “are certain to be abused.”
