Crypto groups urge Senate leaders to advance CLARITY Act before August recess
Industry advocates say the market structure bill needs floor consideration as negotiations continue over ethics and oversight provisions.
Quick Look
- Crypto advocacy groups urged Senate leaders to bring the CLARITY Act to the floor before the August recess.
- The bill faces 60-vote threshold hurdles and remaining disputes over ethics and market structure provisions.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The article concerns the CLARITY Act, a Senate crypto market structure bill that has already advanced through committee. Republicans want a floor vote before the August recess, but some lawmakers still want changes to the bill's ethics provisions.
The Crypto Council for Innovation, Digital Chamber and Blockchain Association wrote to U.S. Senate leaders on Friday urging them to prioritize floor consideration of the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act.
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the three cryptocurrency advocacy groups asked lawmakers to move the bill forward before the chamber breaks for state work periods in August. The groups said constructive bipartisan negotiations are still underway to expand support for the legislation.
The CLARITY Act has already advanced through the Senate banking and agriculture committees, but some lawmakers have said they will withhold support until key provisions are addressed. Republicans released the text of the market structure bill earlier this week, including ethics provisions that bar public officials from issuing or sponsoring cryptocurrencies, though several Democrats said those measures do not go far enough to prevent corruption.
Senator Ruben Gallego criticized the ethics provisions on Thursday, saying they were not a serious effort. He said Republicans had taken months of work and returned with language that was not remotely close to what had been discussed.
Industry leaders also weighed in ahead of a possible floor vote. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the status quo in the U.S. is not working because there is no federal framework, and argued that the bill would provide consumer protections, law enforcement tools and a path for the U.S. to lead in the industry.
Orest Gavryliak, chief legal officer of DeFi platform 1inch, said on Cointelegraph’s Chain Reaction podcast that CLARITY would help recognize a framework for non-custodial protocols rather than relying on enforcement. He said regulators still try to fit such projects into custodial frameworks, which he argued does not apply to them.
The bill is expected to be one of the most significant pieces of legislation affecting the crypto industry, but it needs 60 votes to pass in the Senate. Republicans hold a 52-47 majority over Democrats.
If lawmakers cannot hold a vote before the Senate breaks in August, consideration could slip into the weeks before the 2026 U.S. midterms, potentially complicating negotiations. As of Friday, Kalshi offered event contracts showing a 40.3% chance that the bill would pass before the Senate’s August recess.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Senate negotiations over the CLARITY Act will continue as lawmakers try to resolve ethics-related objections.
Very likely · Within days
If no floor vote occurs before the August recess, consideration will likely be pushed later into the year.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will Senate leaders bring the CLARITY Act to the floor before the August recess?
- Which provisions would need to change to secure enough Democratic support?
- Will the bill lose momentum if it slips into the pre-midterm period?
