The Senate's procedural vote on the CLARITY Act fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance on Tuesday. Republicans rejected a last-minute counterproposal from Democrats, leaving XRP holders
The Senate's procedural vote on the CLARITY Act fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance on Tuesday.
Republicans rejected a last-minute counterproposal from Democrats, leaving XRP holders to navigate a market without the regulatory catalyst many had been banking on.
Talks broke down in the final hours before the 2:15 p.m. ET cloture vote. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act hit a roadblock with a 49-50 vote falling well short of the 60 votes needed to advance the legislation toward passage.
Republicans, led by Senator Cynthia Lummis, had circulated what they called their "last, best and final" offer over the weekend, incorporating dozens of changes sought by Democrats, including tighter ethics restrictions.
Democrats sent back a counteroffer late Monday night, still pushing for stronger conflict-of-interest safeguards tied to President Trump's crypto holdings.
Related: Analyst says XRP could be ready for a big move
As reported earlier, a spokesperson for Lummis said Democrats had "not budged an inch," and Republicans dismissed the counterproposal outright. With 53 Senate seats, Republicans needed at least seven Democratic votes to clear the threshold and didn't get them.
XRP has long been viewed as one of the tokens most tied to the bill's fate, given Ripple's multi-year legal fight with the SEC.
The CLARITY Act would have codified XRP's status as a digital commodity into federal law, insulating it from future shifts in SEC policy. Without it, that protection now rests solely on a district court ruling that remains open to future challenge.
As the vote played out Tuesday, XRP was trading around $1.39-$1.40, holding just above its recent support band near $1.34-$1.35, as per the data from Decibel.
That risk is compounded by the Fed's rate decision landing the very next day; a hawkish outcome layered on top of the failed vote could tilt XRP toward the $1.00 mark.
Still, a stalled CLARITY Act on its own was not expected to be enough to drag the token below that level.
Lawmakers could still attempt further negotiations, but with the midterm campaign calendar closing in, the bill's window for 2026 passage has narrowed sharply.
Market watchers now see 2027, at the earliest, as the next realistic shot.
