Senate delays CLARITY Act vote until September

U.S. Senate leaders have postponed a planned vote on the CLARITY Act until September, pushing the crypto legislative priority beyond the August recess.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed the delay late Aug. 6. Thune said Democrats would not agree to bring the bill up before lawmakers leave Washington. The measure would be “queued” for consideration when senators return, he said.

Thune’s comments reverse earlier expectations from Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, who had wanted a vote before recess. The delay raises pressure on both parties to reach agreement before spending fights and the 2026 midterm campaign crowd the fall calendar.

Seven Democratic senators rejected the Republican draft on July 22. They said provisions on ethics, consumer protection, illicit finance, conflicts of interest and market integrity needed strengthening. The group included Angela Alsobrooks and Ruben Gallego, the two Democrats who had joined Republicans to advance the legislation through the Senate Banking Committee.

That opposition matters because Senate leadership needs 60 votes to invoke cloture and overcome a filibuster. Republicans therefore require Democratic support to advance the bill. Politico reported that Democrats also declined to approve a time agreement that would have accelerated remaining Senate business before recess, making it harder to fit the CLARITY Act onto the floor schedule.

The ethics fight remains difficult. Democrats have pushed for tougher restrictions involving elected officials’ crypto interests. That includes concerns tied to President Donald Trump and his family’s digital asset businesses. Reuters reported that a proposed divestiture approach remained under negotiation with the White House. Any such requirement is still a proposal and has not been enacted.

The postponement comes after months of legislative progress. The House passed H.R. 3633 by a 294-134 vote in July 2025. The Senate Banking Committee then advanced an amended version 15-9 on May 14, 2026, with all committee Republicans and two Democrats supporting it.

Senator Cynthia Lummis released updated merged text on July 22 combining work from the Banking and Agriculture committees. The legislation would establish a federal market structure for digital assets. It would divide oversight responsibilities between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The bill also includes provisions covering stablecoin rewards, anti-money laundering controls, decentralized finance and tokenized securities.