US Senate Rejects CLARITY Act Cloture Vote, Shifting Crypto Oversight to Regulators
The US Senate voted 50-49 against advancing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on September 15, 2026, falling short of the 60 votes needed for cloture.
Why it matters
The CLARITY Act's failure leaves crypto market structure oversight in the hands of the SEC and CFTC through agency rulemaking rather than congressional legislation, which may lack the permanence and clarity the industry sought. Multiple experts noted the result could delay product launches, funding decisions, and commercial agreements. The Senate Banking Committee approved its version by 15-9, and the House had passed the legislation by 294-134, meaning bipartisan support existed but collapsed on the ethics provisions related to Trump's crypto dealings.
Where the sources disagree
Republican senators opposing the bill
Three Republicans joined Democrats in opposition
Finance Magnates Crypto
Sens. Collins, Hawley, and Moran joined Democrats
Decrypt
Finance Magnates did not name specific Republican opponents while Decrypt listed Collins, Hawley, and Moran as voting with Democrats.
Key facts
The US Senate voted 50-49 against cloture on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on September 15, 2026.
50 votesReported by Finance Magnates Crypto
The CLARITY Act required 60 votes to advance through cloture.
60 votesReported by Finance Magnates Crypto
The House passed the CLARITY Act in July 2025 by a vote of 294 to 134.
294 votesReported by Finance Magnates Crypto
Senator Elissa Slotkin called the bill's ethics provisions 'simply too thin' and voted no.
Reported by Finance Magnates Crypto
Senator Thom Tillis switched from yes to no as a procedural maneuver.
Reported by Decrypt
The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act (H.R. 10357) on September 17, 2026.
Reported by Decrypt
What happened
The US Senate rejected a cloture motion on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (H.R. 3633) on September 15, 2026, by a vote of 50-49, short of the 60 affirmative votes required. The bill had passed the House in July 2025 by 294-134 and cleared the Senate Banking Committee in May 2026 by 15-9. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) cited insufficient ethics provisions, saying Trump, his children and Cabinet were making billions in crypto. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, and Jerry Moran voted with Democrats, while Thom Tillis switched from yes to no as a procedural move. Following the failure, the SEC and CFTC moved to fill the gap: SEC Chair Paul Atkins tied an innovation exemption for tokenized stocks to the bill's defeat, and the CFTC issued no-action relief and sent broader crypto rulemaking to the White House. The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act (H.R. 10357) on September 17, a separate proposal covering transaction fees, stablecoins, mining, staking, and lending.
How the story developed
- Update
Senate rejects cloture motion on CLARITY Act
The vote fell 50-49, short of the 60 votes required. Senator Slotkin criticized the bill's ethics provisions.
- First report
First report by U.Today
Clarity Act Fails Again: What It Means for Crypto
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Finance Magnates Crypto
'Ethics', Not Economics, Sink the CLARITY Act in the Senate
- Update
House passes CLARITY Act
The House approved H.R. 3633 by a vote of 294-134.
- Update
House committee approves crypto tax bill
The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act (H.R. 10357), covering transaction fees, stablecoins, mining, staking, and lending.
- Update
SEC and CFTC begin rulemaking
SEC Chair Paul Atkins announced a tokenized-stock innovation exemption; the CFTC issued no-action relief and sent broader crypto rulemaking to the White House.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 15 Sept 2026, 19:58 UTC: U.Today — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 16 Sept 2026, 05:05 UTC: Finance Magnates Crypto, Mainstream media — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 16 Sept 2026, 21:46 UTC: Decrypt — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 17 Sept 2026, 19:56 UTC: Crypto.News — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 18 Sept 2026, 19:10 UTC: CryptoPotato — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
- 19 Sept 2026, 16:00 UTC: CoinDesk — 6 independent sources, 7 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Bitwise, Donald Trump, Paul Atkins, Solana, XRP, Ethereum, Coinbase
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.Today Crypto media | Clarity Act Fails Again: What It Means for Crypto | Original | |
| CoinDesk Crypto media | Clarity Act, we hardly knew ye: We look at what was in the bill and what's replacing it | Independent | |
| Decrypt Crypto media | Crypto Tax Bill Clears House Committee After Clarity Act Setback | Independent | |
| Decrypt Crypto media | How the Clarity Act's Defeat Handed the SEC and CFTC the Wheel on Crypto | Independent | |
| Finance Magnates Crypto Mainstream media | 'Ethics', Not Economics, Sink the CLARITY Act in the Senate | Independent | |
| Crypto.News Crypto media | CLARITY Act setback may delay US crypto launches: Experts | Independent | |
| CryptoPotato Crypto media | Here’s Why Bitwise CIO Believes Crypto Could Keep Rallying Without Congress | Independent | |
| CryptoPotato Crypto media | Bitcoin Survived the CLARITY Act Setback: What Happens Next? | Independent |
Related events
CFTC submits crypto market framework for White House review after CLARITY Act stalls
The CFTC sent a prerule on crypto asset transactions and markets to the White House for review on Sept. 17, days after the Senate killed the CLARITY Act.
CFTC extends no-action relief on broker registration to all passive trading software providers
The CFTC's Market Participants Division issued a no-action letter extending Phantom's March broker-registration exemption to any qualifying passive software provider.
