White House backs ethics language in CLARITY crypto bill

White House officials met this week with Republican Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno to negotiate ethics language for the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. The discussions aim to address concerns from Senate Democrats and may affect support for the bill.

Neither senator has publicly released the details of the agreement. The bill text has not been published for full Senate review and no formal Senate vote has been scheduled on the congressional calendar.

The CLARITY Act passed the House in July 2025 as part of a Republican push on crypto policy. Its progress in Congress has been slowed by recent government shutdowns and by lawmaker concerns over tokenization, stablecoin reward programs and protections for software developers.

Several Senate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy, Jeff Merkley and Chris Van Hollen, have insisted any final bill include ethics provisions to address potential conflicts tied to the president. They have pointed to President Trump’s memecoin and business links to World Liberty Financial and some have called for hearings on his investments and industry relationships before voting.

A White House official described the ethics language under discussion as the most extensive ever proposed and said the administration had accommodated Democratic concerns during negotiations. Lummis and Moreno have not confirmed the terms of the talks.

Industry figures noted changes in the draft. Coinbase vice chair Ryan VanGrack said Democrats had secured customer protection provisions in the Senate language. Bitcoin traded above $66,000 early Tuesday, a seven-week high; some traders linked the price rise to growing expectations the bill could clear the Senate. Trader Michaël van de Poppe posted that recent strength was driven largely by the prospect of CLARITY’s approval.

Passing the CLARITY Act in the Senate will likely require at least 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles. President Trump publicly urged the Senate to pass the bill and cited the late Senator Lindsey Graham as a supporter. How senators respond to the negotiated ethics language and whether Democrats accept it without additional oversight will determine whether the bill advances to final passage.