The White House is pressing Congress to move the CLARITY Act in September after the Senate delayed action until after its August recess. White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt says the Trump administration remains “fully committed” to passing the crypto market structure bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has filed cloture, setting up a key procedural test on September 15. However, falling passage estimates show that the bill still faces a difficult path through the Senate.
White House Pushes September CLARITY Act Vote
Witt said the administration wants Congress to finish work on the CLARITY Act when senators return to Washington. He argued that lawmakers need durable legislation for digital assets and urged Democrats to keep negotiating before the September vote. The White House adviser also said the administration would keep its door open for talks through the recess.
The renewed push follows the Senate’s decision to leave Washington without holding the expected August procedural vote. Thune later filed cloture on the motion to proceed, placing the bill back on the Senate schedule. The Senate returns on September 14 and plans to hold the cloture vote on September 15. The motion needs 60 votes to advance, while Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats.
Witt has framed the bill as part of the administration’s plan to create federal rules for digital asset markets. The CLARITY Act would divide oversight of parts of the crypto market between the SEC and CFTC. The Senate Banking Committee advanced the legislation 15-9 in May after months of negotiations.
CLARITY Act Passage Odds Fall to 19%
Despite the White House push, analysts have reduced their expectations for passage. TD Cowen Washington Research Group analyst Jaret Seiberg now assigns a 75% probability that the CLARITY Act will fail to become law this fall. The firm puts the chance of enactment at 25%, with several possible paths that could stop the bill before a final passage vote.
Additionally, Polymarket traders now price a 19% chance that the CLARITY Act will become law in 2026. The market has fallen sharply from levels above 50% during much of the spring.
CLARITY ACT news | Source: Polymarket
One risk centers on the September cloture vote. Even if senators clear that hurdle, disputes over ethics rules, anti-money-laundering provisions and stablecoin rewards could block later votes. Democrats have sought stronger ethics restrictions tied to federal officials, while some Republicans have raised concerns about the bill’s treatment of community bank deposits.
Community bank groups argue that stablecoin rewards could pull deposits away from local lenders. Senator Cynthia Lummis has pushed back against that argument and says recent deposit data does not support claims of widespread deposit flight. The current bill also limits interest or yield on stablecoin balances.
CLARITY Gets a September Lifeline
Thune’s cloture filing gives the CLARITY Act another chance after the August delay, but the Senate calendar leaves little room for extended negotiations. Senators will return for only a short stretch before election activity takes over much of the fall schedule. A failed September 15 cloture vote could sharply narrow the bill’s path in 2026.
At the same time, federal regulators are moving on separate crypto rules. The SEC will hold an open meeting on August 14 to consider a proposal for a tailored offering regime covering certain investment contracts involving crypto assets. The agency says the meeting could begin a formal rulemaking process if commissioners vote to issue the proposal.
The regulatory track does not replace the CLARITY Act, which would set broader market structure rules through legislation. Still, the SEC’s August meeting shows that federal agencies are preparing to act while Congress works through the outstanding disputes.
