US Senate Blocks CLARITY Act Cloture Vote Despite Ripple CEO's Appeal, Regulators Act Alone
The US Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act via cloture despite Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse's appeal, prompting the CFTC and SEC to pursue crypto rules under existing authority.
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Why it matters
The failed cloture vote leaves federal crypto market-structure legislation stalled amid a divided Congress, pushing the CFTC and SEC to advance oversight through their existing rulemaking authority rather than new law.
Key facts
The US Senate failed to invoke cloture on the CLARITY Act on September 15, 2026, falling short of the 60 votes required to advance the bill.
60Reported by Finance Magnates Crypto
Sources gave differing vote tallies for the failed cloture vote: Finance Magnates and Crypto.News reported 50 yes to 49 no, while CoinDesk reported the bill received 49 of the 60 votes needed.
Disputed figureReported by Finance Magnates Crypto
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse urged senators not to abandon the CLARITY Act, arguing the bill already contained substantive compromises.
Reported by U.Today
Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) voted no, saying the bill's ethics provisions were 'too thin' and citing crypto earnings by President Trump and his family.
Reported by Finance Magnates Crypto
The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act (H.R. 10357) on September 16, 2026, sending it to the full House.
Reported by Decrypt
The CFTC submitted a prerule titled 'Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulation Crypto Asset Markets' to the White House OIRA for review on September 17, 2026.
Reported by Crypto News Flash
Crypto-linked stocks including Strategy, Coinbase, American Bitcoin and Robinhood rebounded on September 18, 2026, with Strategy rising more than 13% and Coinbase and American Bitcoin each up about 11%.
13 %Reported by Cointelegraph
What happened
Ahead of a Senate vote, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse publicly urged senators not to abandon the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, arguing the revised text already reflected substantive concessions to Democrats, according to U.Today. On September 15, 2026, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the bill, falling short of the 60 votes needed; Finance Magnates and Crypto.News reported the tally as 50 in favor to 49 against, while CoinDesk described the bill as having received 49 of the 60 votes needed, an unresolved discrepancy across outlets. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who voted no, said the bill's ethics provisions were 'too thin,' pointing to crypto-related earnings by President Trump and his family, per Finance Magnates. In the aftermath, the House Ways and Means Committee advanced a separate crypto tax bill, and the CFTC and SEC began moving ahead with rules under their existing authority, including a CFTC prerule sent to the White House and an SEC exemption for tokenized-stock trading, as reported by Decrypt, CoinDesk and Cointelegraph. Cointelegraph also reported that crypto-linked stocks such as Strategy, Coinbase and Robinhood rebounded on September 18 after earlier declines tied to the failed vote, while CoinDesk cited investor Kevin O'Leary predicting Congress would revisit the Clarity Act early next year.
How the story developed
- Resolution
Senate fails cloture vote on CLARITY Act
The Senate failed to reach the 60 votes needed to advance the bill, effectively freezing it for now.
- First report
First report by U.Today
Ripple CEO: Don't Kill Crypto Bill
- Update
Republicans unveil revised CLARITY Act text
Republicans unveiled a heavily revised version of the bill incorporating more than 100 changes sought by Democrats, and Polymarket odds of enactment rose to roughly 35% on Sept. 14.
- Official statement
Ripple CEO urges senators not to kill the CLARITY Act
Brad Garlinghouse posted an appeal arguing the bill's compromises were substantive, responding to similar pressure from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Finance Magnates Crypto
'Ethics', Not Economics, Sink the CLARITY Act in the Senate
- Official statement
Senator Slotkin explains her no vote
Slotkin cited thin ethics provisions and cryptocurrency earnings by President Trump and his family as reasons for opposing the bill.
- Update
House committee advances crypto tax bill
The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act, sending it to the full House.
- Update
CFTC and SEC advance crypto rules independently
The CFTC submitted a crypto market prerule to the White House and issued no-action relief, while the SEC introduced a tokenized-stock exemption, both moving under existing authority after the Senate setback.
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, 07:46 UTC: U.Today — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 15 Sept 2026, 17:56 UTC: U.Today — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 17 Sept 2026, 18:40 UTC: CoinDesk — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Avalanche, Galaxy Digital
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.Today Crypto media | Ripple CEO: Don't Kill Crypto Bill | Original | |
| CoinDesk Crypto media | Kevin O’Leary says Congress will revisit Clarity early next year as crypto tax bill advances | Independent | |
| U.Today Crypto media | Ripple CEO Says Crypto Will Win With or Without Clarity Act | Syndicated |
Related events
Ripple CLO Reassures XRP Holders After Clarity Failure
'U.S. Will Remain Crypto Capital': CFTC Chair Selig Launches Post-Clarity Act Regulation Plan
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.
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.
