With a potential Senate floor vote on the CLARITY Act looming before the August recess, the White House has quietly begun recruiting law enforcement groups to help build bipartisan support — or at least blunt Democratic opposition.
What happened
- On Wednesday, roughly 20 lawmakers, congressional staffers and law enforcement representatives met at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in a session hosted by Trump crypto adviser Patrick Witt and the White House Crypto Council, according to reporter Eleanor Terrett.
- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer attended and White House “AI and crypto czar” David Sacks gave opening remarks before departing the meeting.
- Law enforcement organizations represented included the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National District Attorneys Association, and the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
Why law enforcement matters
A central focus of the discussion was the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), a provision inside the broader CLARITY Act meant to grant legal protections for certain blockchain developers and infrastructure providers. Attendees also explored ways to strengthen crypto crime reporting and enforcement tools — a selling point the administration hopes will reassure skeptical Democratic senators.
Political calculus
Republicans cannot pass the bill on party-line votes; they’ll need at least seven Democrats to move it forward. The White House and supporters are courting law enforcement groups in part to demonstrate that police and prosecutors don’t oppose the bill’s framework, potentially persuading senators such as Catherine Cortez Masto and Mark Warner. But organized opposition from Democrats — notably Senator Elizabeth Warren — and other holdouts means the path remains uncertain. Senator Cynthia Lummis has said she expects the CLARITY Act to reach the Senate floor before members leave for the August recess.
Battles outside the meeting
Debate over specific provisions is intensifying. One flashpoint is language that would allow crypto exchanges to offer stablecoin yield products. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has publicly opposed that provision; Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has defended it. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently accused Dimon of mischaracterizing the bill as lawmakers continue to parse its language. Garlinghouse also noted that while Armstrong speaks for Coinbase, many digital-asset firms favor clearer U.S. regulatory rules.
What’s next
The CLARITY Act has cleared committee review and awaits a potential floor vote in the Senate. Prediction market data from Polymarket currently places the odds of the bill becoming law by 2026 at about 49%, reflecting the uncertain and highly political path ahead.
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