Seven Democratic senators renewed their commitment to passing the CLARITY Act on September 16, one day after the Senate rejected a procedural motion to advance the legislation. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Mark Warner of Virginia, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia said the failed vote would not end efforts to establish comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation.
The Senate rejected cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633 by a vote of 49-50 on September 15, falling short of the three-fifths majority required to advance the bill. The measure would create a regulatory system involving the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for digital commodity markets.
The seven senators stated: "This week was a setback, but not the end of that important work. We remain committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to get this legislation passed." They said Democrats have spent two years working on crypto legislation designed to expand opportunity, protect consumers, punish bad actors, create regulatory certainty, and include ethics provisions for elected officials.
Negotiations had intensified before the floor vote as lawmakers sought compromises to attract sufficient support. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse publicly advocated for the legislation. Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming stated the final text included more than 120 Democratic demands.
Disputes remained unresolved before the vote, including disagreements involving banking groups, stablecoin-related rewards, and state enforcement authority. The failed procedural vote leaves Congress without an enacted comprehensive market structure framework, with existing federal agencies continuing to oversee cryptocurrency activities under current law.
