Overview
- The CLARITY Act failed to clear a Senate procedural vote and did not advance to the floor, falling short of the 60 votes needed to proceed.
- No Democrats backed the measure and several Republicans withheld support, producing the vote margin that blocked advancement.
- Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong denied responsibility for the bill’s failure and said he opposed an earlier draft but supported the final version sent to the Senate.
- Press accounts and some industry insiders point fingers at high-profile actors including President Trump and Coinbase leadership for creating an ethics controversy that affected senator support.
- After the stall, the CFTC issued no-action relief for passive software providers and submitted a market-structure proposal while the SEC unveiled a five-year tokenization exemption, actions that give firms a temporary regulatory path but can be reversed without new law.