Coinbase, Ripple Chiefs Take Crypto Bill Fight to White House

Senior executives from Coinbase and Ripple met Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington this week to push for the stalled CLARITY Act, the companies said. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse held talks centered on what the White House could do to preserve bipartisan support for legislation that has broad interest in establishing clearer rules for digital-asset markets.

The CLARITY Act aims to create a defined federal framework for crypto markets, including clearer division of responsibilities between regulators. The bill has been held up by unresolved ethics provisions, according to people familiar with the negotiations. The precise terms of any potential compromise have not been detailed, and there is no indication a final legislative deal is imminent.

President Donald Trump called the bill bipartisan and urged Congress to pass it, according to a White House statement. Trump suggested that an agreement on the ethics question may be within reach, though no specific terms were disclosed.

The meetings highlight how the industry's regulatory agenda now depends more on political negotiations than on technical questions about token classification or exchange oversight. For major U.S.-linked firms, a credible path to passage would carry more weight than another round of broad public statements, executives said.

Coinbase has long argued that the absence of a tailored market-structure regime leaves crypto businesses operating under uncertain enforcement and registration expectations. Ripple has become an increasingly prominent voice in the Washington debate, as regulatory outcomes affect both its payments business and the broader XRP ecosystem.

Garlinghouse cited an estimated 67 million U.S. crypto owners as evidence that the sector has moved beyond a niche audience, the company said. While that constituency may add pressure for legislative action, it does not resolve the political dispute currently surrounding the bill.

The takeaway is not that the CLARITY Act is guaranteed to pass. It is that large crypto companies see enough movement in Washington to engage directly with the administration. A genuine ethics compromise can revive a bill that markets view as important for institutional participation. Another impasse would simply extend the regulatory uncertainty that has shaped U.S. crypto valuations and corporate strategy.