Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego said rushing the CLARITY Act to a Senate vote before disputes over ethics rules and stablecoin yield are resolved could push US crypto market structure legislation in the wrong direction.
Speaking at the SALT Wyoming Blockchain Symposium on Wednesday, Gallego said the crypto industry should back continued negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans rather than press for an immediate vote. He said lawmakers still need to handle the bill’s Agriculture Committee section, put together the broader package, and decide how to send it to the House.
The warning adds a complication to the Trump administration’s push for quick passage. As described by Cointelegraph, a procedural vote could come before negotiators have built the bipartisan coalition needed to clear the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.
“Don’t go for a fast vote,” Gallego said. “A fast vote gets you a fast result, but I’m not sure it’s the result you want.” He added that Congress still had many steps left to complete and that “any premature movement is going to set it back further.”
Gallego says White House has not responded to ethics proposal
Gallego said he and Republican Senator Thom Tillis submitted compromise ethics language to the White House before the congressional recess, but had not received a point-by-point response. He said sufficiently strong ethics restrictions were necessary to bring in Democratic support and move the bill ahead.
“We’ve been sending offers over and over again to the White House, and they’ve been coming back either blank, or they’ve come back even slightly further back, or we’ve heard nothing,” Gallego said.
Cointelegraph said it reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Administration pressure and Senate timing remain in focus
The remarks came after renewed pressure from the administration. On Wednesday, Trump urged Congress to pass a “fair version” of the CLARITY Act during a White House appearance with crypto executives.
Senate leaders have delayed action until September. On Aug. 7, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Cointelegraph the chamber was “punting” the vote and said CLARITY would be taken up “first thing” after lawmakers returned from recess.
White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt had previously said the administration would keep negotiating with Democrats until the September vote, but “can’t afford to wait forever.”