White House Engages on Ethics Compromise The White House is actively reviewing bipartisan ethics language submitted by senators ahead of a potential Senate floor vote on the CLARITY Act, the
The White House is actively reviewing bipartisan ethics language submitted by senators ahead of a potential Senate floor vote on the CLARITY Act, the landmark crypto market structure bill. Senator Thom Tillis confirmed that bipartisan language drafted and sent to the White House last week is currently under review. "We've got people working with White House right now...they're going through some of the lines right now," Tillis said, as reported by Punchbowl News.
The ethics dispute has been the central sticking point throughout negotiations. Under earlier White House-backed language, enforcement of the ethics ban rested solely with the Department of Justice. The Tillis-Gallego counterproposal would add a role for state attorneys general, allowing state authorities to enforce the ban alongside the DOJ.That change targets the single biggest Democratic objection.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune declined to file cloture on the crypto market structure bill Wednesday afternoon, according to Punchbowl News, leaving negotiators only a narrow window to reach something resembling consensus. Tillis described an on-schedule vote as a moonshot, but said a delay into next week could still keep the bill alive.
If the White House signs off, Thune could move to begin the cloture process next week. If it does not, passage most likely slips past the recess and into an autumn crowded by the approaching midterm elections.The bill requires 60 votes in the Senate to clear the cloture threshold.
Senator Cynthia Lummis has been blunt about where she places the blame. Lummis accused Democrats of making "a deliberate decision to run out the clock and kill" the legislation rather than allowing lawmakers to take an official recorded vote against the bill.The bill's text has grown from around 300 to nearly 700 pages over the course of negotiations, with Lummis arguing that most of the additions were made at Democrats' own request.
The CLARITY Act is bipartisan legislation designed to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States. It would give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission primary oversight of spot digital commodity markets while reserving the Securities and Exchange Commission's authority over investment contract assets.The House passed the bill 294 to 134 in July 2025, and the Senate Banking Committee advanced its version 15 to 9 in May 2026, but it has since stalled in the full Senate almost entirely over the ethics question.
Bitcoin Magazine: White House Now Reviewing Crypto CLARITY Act Ethics Text | The Crypto Times: White House to Review CLARITY Ethics Deal Before Recess | SpendNode: Lummis Says Democrats Are Stalling CLARITY Act to Dodge a Vote
