Senate Blocks CLARITY Act in Tense Crypto Regulation Vote
The U.S. Senate failed to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) in a 49-50 cloture vote, falling short of the required 60 votes.
The bill aimed to establish a federal market-structure framework for digital assets, dividing regulatory responsibilities between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Every Democrat who participated in the vote opposed cloture, while Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, and Jerry Moran also voted against advancing the bill.
Negotiations leading up to the floor vote remained divided over ethics restrictions for elected officials and their families, stablecoin rewards, illicit-finance provisions, and protections for non-custodial software developers.
The House passed the CLARITY Act by 294-134 in July 2025, but the Senate version remains stalled. Federal regulators can continue developing crypto rules under existing statutory authority.