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Patrick Witt Delays Military Duty to Steer CLARITY Act Through Senate
White House crypto negotiator Patrick Witt postponed military training to stay in Washington for the Senate's review of the CLARITY Act, a bill that would settle digital asset classification.
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Patrick Witt, the White House's lead crypto policy negotiator, postponed his military training to remain in Washington as the Senate reviews the CLARITY Act. The move underscores the administration's focus on passing the bill, which cleared the House last month.
The CLARITY Act aims to settle the long-running dispute over whether digital assets are securities or commodities. Under current law, classification often depends on litigation rather than legislation. The bill would give token issuers, exchanges, and investors a single rulebook and a designated regulator. Witt told reporters the timing is critical. "We're at a point where a few weeks could determine whether this framework survives intact," he said.
Senate deliberations have not yet produced a vote date. The chamber's banking committee must mark up the bill before a floor vote, and no hearing has been scheduled. That timeline leaves Witt's deferral open-ended. He had been due to report for basic training in August, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The decision carries personal cost. Witt made a commitment to serve, and pushing it back to handle a legislative assignment signals the administration's reading of the moment. They believe the CLARITY Act is close enough to a real outcome that losing their negotiator right now would be a genuine risk.