White House Warns CLARITY Act Will Die Without Democrat Support

The White House is ramping up pressure on Senate Democrats ahead of a crucial vote on September 15, urging them to provide seven affirmative votes for the CLARITY Act. The legislation aims to clarify crypto market structure, and its proponents argue that further delay will hinder US innovation in digital assets.

Patrick Witt, executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats of blocking procedural votes while seeking more time for negotiations. Congress has spent years working on crypto market structure legislation, with Senate Republicans and Democrats negotiating the CLARITY Act since last summer.

Witt stated that if a deal is not reached by September 15, it may never happen, echoing Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno's sentiments. Moreno framed the vote as a choice between maintaining US leadership in digital-asset innovation or ceding ground to countries like China.