Esper Calls CLARITY Act National Security Imperative Ahead of September 15 Senate Vote

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has made a compelling case for why the CLARITY Act is not just a financial services bill, but a national security imperative. In an op-ed published in the Financial Times, Esper argued that China and sanctioned networks gain ground every day the U.S. delays crypto market rules.

Esper's core argument is that U.S. economic power has long rested on two rails: the dollar and the payment systems that carry it. If digital asset activity migrates to offshore venues with looser rules, Washington loses visibility, sanctions bite less, and rivals like China get to write the next version of global financial standards.

The Senate now has a hard deadline to answer: a cloture vote on H.R. 3633 is set for September 15. The CLARITY Act has generated intense legislative tracking, and its passage would bring clear federal rules for digital assets.