The CLARITY Act will face a 60-vote Senate test on Sept. 15. Before that vote, Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty urged undecided and opposing senators to meet American crypto holders. He cited an estimate that 67 million Americans own crypto.
Alderoty contacted senators who oppose the bill or remain undecided. He asked them to meet holders and consider how federal rules could affect their assets and market access. The estimate came from the National Cryptocurrency Association.
What Will the CLARITY Act Vote Decide?
The Senate’s decision will decide whether the chamber moves to debate the issue. Senators are expected to vote on cloture of the motion to proceed at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Also Read: Can the CLARITY Act Survive Its Sept. 15 Senate Vote?
This vote will not settle the fate of passing the bill. For cloture, 60 senators are needed. The bill requires at least seven Democrats or independents since Republicans possess 53 seats.
However, the support of Republicans is not guaranteed. There are concerns among some Republicans about presidential ethics, the incentives of stablecoins, and protections for decentralized finance developers.
If senators vote for it, then the chamber will debate the bill and make amendments. However, if there are fewer than 60 senators vote for it, the bill will not move forward.
Why Is Bipartisan Support Still Uncertain?
Provisions for presidential ethics continue to serve as one of the main roadblocks for the CLARITY Act. Democrats need stricter measures regulating digital asset operations conducted by the president, key officials, and their close relatives.
Such measures should relate to businesses associated with President Donald Trump and his family, like World Liberty Financial and the Official Trump meme coin. Democrats also need protection against illegal financing and corruption.
Republicans are also divided over whether negotiators have made enough concessions. Sen. Cynthia Lummis blamed Democratic demands for putting the CLARITY Act at risk. However, she said lawmakers could still resolve the remaining disputes.
Sen. Mike Rounds believed that the prospects looked bleak, while Sen. Thom Tillis said that failure was imminent without efforts from Congress and the White House regarding ethics.
Payouts for stablecoins represent yet another point of contention. Community banks argue that payments on token balances may lead to withdrawals from insured deposit-taking organizations. At the same time, crypto firms insist on restrictions concerning third-party rewards.
Moreover, there have been discussions about the measures to be taken towards the developers of the DeFi software who do not own customers’ assets. Another set of regulations needs to be established to fight money laundering.
How Are Both Sides Lobbying Senators?
The Stand With Crypto movement contacted Congress close to 50,000 times via calls and emails in August, according to Reuters. In addition, they organized meetings and published opinion pieces in local newspapers while the Senate was in recess.
The banking organizations have come up with their own strategy. Independent Community Bankers of America is urging local banks to reach out to senators regarding measures that will make it possible for the tokens to compete with bank deposits.
What Would the Bill Change for Crypto Holders?
The CLARITY Act would establish a federal regulatory framework for digital assets. It would divide the responsibilities between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
The regulatory framework would assist in identifying when tokens would be covered by the securities laws and also when they would qualify as commodities. In addition, the regulatory framework would set out the obligations of intermediaries of the US digital asset market.
The House passed the bill with a vote of 294 to 134 in July 2025. In May 2026, the Senate Banking Committee passed the bill with a margin of 15 to 9, but with only two Democrats supporting the bill.
This vote means that the Senate leadership has to form a broad bipartisan group.
Even if the bill passes in the Senate, further actions are required. Any differences in Senate language compared to the House version have to be worked out prior to sending the bill to the President.
The House is only set to have four legislative days after September 15. This makes the process of dealing with Senate changes difficult. Alderoty requests that senators include individuals’ investors in the discussions. The procedural vote would tell if the senators are ready to engage with the CLARITY Act.
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