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White House presses Democrats to clear a Sept. 15 CLARITY Act hurdle
The Sept. 15 vote would decide whether the Senate ends debate and starts formal consideration, with Republicans needing at least seven Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote threshold.
The White House is urging Senate Democrats ahead of a Sept. 15 procedural vote on the CLARITY Act, arguing Congress has already had enough time to reach agreement on crypto market structure legislation. CryptoSlate reports that Patrick Witt, executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats of blocking a procedural vote before the August recess while seeking more time to negotiate.
The pressure campaign follows Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s decision to file cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633, setting up a vote at 2:15 p.m. on Sept. 15. Notably, the vote would not enact the CLARITY Act itself, it would determine whether the Senate ends debate on the motion to proceed and begins formal consideration, which still requires 60 votes.
CryptoSlate also reports that Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno said all 53 Senate Republicans would support cloture, meaning at least seven Democrats would need to vote yes. Moreno rejected the argument that additional time is needed, saying an agreement was reached weeks ago after 11 months of negotiations, and that parties should keep their commitments.
The Senate Banking Committee advanced the CLARITY Act 15-9 in May after nearly a year of bipartisan talks, with two Democrats joining Republicans. Negotiations after the committee vote continued on issues including ethics restrictions for elected officials with crypto interests and stablecoin rewards, as Democrats sought stronger conflict-of-interest safeguards involving government officials with digital-asset business ties.