White House Doubles Down on September Timeline Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, says the Trump administration is fully committed to
Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, says the Trump administration is fully committed to passing the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act in September. Witt reaffirmed that the bill remains a top White House priority and that negotiations with Democrats will continue in good faith.
Witt leads the White House body responsible for developing and coordinating national policy on digital asset innovation, regulation, and emerging financial technologies. He has been one of the administration's most visible figures on crypto legislation, previously targeting July 4 for passage before Senate deliberations pushed the timeline back.
Witt framed ongoing Democratic resistance as a direct cost to the country, warning that every delay pushes America further behind in the global digital asset race. He also cautioned that stalled progress weakens national security and limits law enforcement's tools to combat crypto crime. Despite the friction, Witt said the bill's door remains open for bipartisan input.
The CLARITY Act aims to establish a clear market structure for digital assets, dividing oversight primarily between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, with the CFTC taking charge of digital commodities and related spot markets. Current financial market laws are not designed to fully accommodate digital assets or blockchain technology, leaving the ecosystem in a fragmented regulatory environment that creates uncertainty and pushes legitimate projects overseas.
The House passed the CLARITY Act in July 2025 by a 294-134 vote, but disagreements in the Senate over ethics, rewards, DeFi, and regulatory authority have prevented quick passage.In May 2026, the Senate Banking Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 15-9, with all 13 Republicans joined by two Democrats, though those Democrats indicated their committee votes did not guarantee floor support without further progress on an ethics provision addressing government officials' ties to the crypto industry.
Democratic support has remained in doubt, with the senators most involved in advancing the legislation digging in over the bill's restrictions on senior government officials, including President Trump, backing crypto projects.The White House has said it agreed to "the most comprehensive and wide-ranging ethics provision in history," but a bipartisan proposal on that section has sat unanswered at the White House for at least a week, according to CoinDesk.
A cloture vote on the motion to proceed is expected on September 15, though this is a procedural step rather than a final vote on the bill itself. Witt called durable legislative rules necessary now more than ever, signaling the administration has no intention of letting the bill stall into the fourth quarter.
SourcesLatham and Watkins: US Crypto Policy Tracker, Legislative DevelopmentsCoinDesk: US Senate Opens First Stage of CLARITY Act VotingForbes: Crypto's Landmark CLARITY Bill Is Running Out of Time
