CLARITY Act Advances in Committee on 15-9 Vote Before Stalling in Senate
Key Facts
The CLARITY Act advanced in the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on May 14, 2026, on a 15-9 vote, according to the committee’s announcement. But the Senate did not approve a motion to proceed with debate on the bill on September 15, according to the Senate record. The bill aims to establish a framework for regulating digital commodity offerings and sales, with oversight roles divided between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to its text. Senator Bill Hagerty had pointed, according to a summary published by Benzinga, to the possibility of near-term progress on Bitcoin reserve legislation after key elements of the CLARITY Act were addressed. This statement could not be independently verified through a primary source or a source from the approved categories, and the linked article could not be opened; therefore, the bill’s path in the Senate does not confirm his expectation.
The CLARITY Act differs from the executive framework that established the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on March 6, 2025, according to the White House. The order established the reserve with qualifying Bitcoin that had been finally forfeited and come into the Treasury Department’s possession through criminal or civil forfeiture proceedings or civil monetary penalties. It also tasked the Treasury and Commerce secretaries with developing strategies to acquire more government-owned Bitcoin, provided they do not affect the budget or impose additional costs on taxpayers. The order also stipulated that Bitcoin deposited in the reserve would not be sold. Accordingly, regulation of digital asset offerings and sales remains the subject of the CLARITY Act, while the executive order separately sets out the reserve’s funding sources and the conditions for adding Bitcoin to it.
The Senate Banking Committee announced in May that the bill had cleared the panel, before later stalling in the Senate. After the motion to proceed with the bill stalled, Senator Thom Tillis filed a motion to reconsider the vote, according to the Senate record. Reuters said Tillis changed his vote to oppose the measure in a procedural move that preserved the possibility of bringing it back for consideration later. The Associated Press reported that disagreements over ethics safeguards related to President Donald Trump and his family were central to Democrats’ opposition; they called for stricter enforcement and a divestment requirement for presidential holdings above a certain value. The agency also noted that the White House said it would turn to agencies to implement parts of its cryptocurrency agenda, while congressional sessions were in recess during October and ahead of the November midterm elections, which could change the bill’s prospects.