Senate votes 50-49 against advancing the Clarity Act

The crypto bill fell short of the 60 votes needed to end debate and move ahead in the Senate.

The Senate voted 50-49 against advancing the Clarity Act, which would set rules for how crypto firms and digital asset platforms operate. The bill needed 60 votes to clear cloture, the procedural vote that ends debate. It did not get them.

Republicans hold 53 Senate seats, so at least seven Democrats had to join them. Punchbowl News reported, citing four sources involved in the process, that Senate Democrats would withhold their votes unless the White House made progress on a bipartisan ethics deal. crypto.news reported that seven Democratic holdouts said the bill's text was not close enough to warrant moving ahead.

Republican sponsors Cynthia Lummis, John Boozman and Tim Scott had offered a substitute bill incorporating 126 changes requested by Democrats, according to Crypto Times. Treasury Secretary Bessent backed the final draft on social media as Senate Republicans released the newest text, which added fresh ethics provisions.

The failed vote does not repeal the House-passed 2025 version of the bill. It does stall formal Senate consideration, according to Crypto Times and TheStreet. Federal crypto policy will keep depending on agency rules, enforcement actions and court precedent while Congress decides whether to try again. crypto.news reported that some analysts expect the bill will not be revived until 2029, given the midterm election calendar.

The vote also removes what had looked like the most viable near-term path to AI regulation. That leaves the field split between the mandatory safety rules Senator Sanders has proposed and the lighter-touch framework Treasury has backed. Which standard prevails is now open.