by Misty Severi
The Senate failed Tuesday to advance the Clarity Act, which is a cryptocurrency bill that would establish the first comprehensive federal framework for the industry.
The Senate voted 49-50 against a motion to proceed with consideration of the Trump-backed Clarity Act, failing to reach the required 60-vote threshold, after all Democrats and a handful of Republicans voted against it.
The bill would have established clearer rules for digital assets and determined whether particular tokens fall under securities or commodities laws.
It would also divide regulatory authority over the digital asset market, giving the Commodity Futures Trading Commission a larger role while defining which cryptocurrencies should fall under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Approximately a dozen Democrats were considered potential yes votes, but ultimately rejected the legislation after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on ethics rules, according to The Hill.
Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin said on social media she voted against the bill because “ethics provisions in this bill [were] simply too thin.”
“President Trump, his children, and his Cabinet are making billions of dollars in the crypto space, in part from bilking everyday Americans out of their hard-earned money. I cannot in good conscience vote for any legislation that codifies that behavior from public officials. Not for President Trump or Secretary Lutnick today, nor for any Democrat who may take advantage of it in the future,” Slotkin noted.
House GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer said if people are upset the bill didn’t pass, to blame the Senate Democrats.
“They are bad faith negotiators. In March, I was on stage with [Gillibrand]Â at a [Digital Chamber] panel where she ‘agreed’ with me and claimed she wanted ‘the United States to be at the forefront of this industry.’ Senator Gillibrand just voted no on letting Clarity move in the Senate. EMPTY WORDS. The House passed a good, ready for primetime, nonpartisan Clarity Act in July 2025. Senate Democrats have further stalled this once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Emmer explained.
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Misty Severi is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
