CLARITY Act Faces September 15 Vote as Bipartisan Support Remains Elusive

• The bill needs 60 votes to advance, but no Democratic senator has publicly backed it ahead of the September 15 vote.
• The revised 630-page bill includes 114 Democratic-requested provisions, but disputed ethics rules remain largely unchanged.
• Polymarket and Kalshi put the bill’s year-end passage odds near 20%, leaving its legislative future uncertain.

The U.S. Senate will hold a procedural vote on the CLARITY Act on September 15, as White House adviser Patrick Witt and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urge bipartisan support. The bill needs 60 votes to advance, but no Democratic senator has publicly backed it. Its latest version includes 114 Democratic-requested amendments, while ethics rules remain disputed.

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CLARITY Act Faces September 15 Senate Test

Witt, executive director of the White House Digital Asset Advisory Council, warned that a failed motion-to-proceed vote could close the legislative window. He told Semafor that the outcome would not satisfy either party and questioned when lawmakers could reconsider it.

Bessent separately urged senators to approve the procedural motion. He warned that failure would weaken U.S. leadership in digital assets. The bill would establish digital asset rules and divide oversight between the SEC and CFTC. At least six Democratic votes are needed because Republicans hold 53 Senate seats.

Revised Bill Retains Disputed Ethics Provisions

Sen. Cynthia Lummis published a revised 630-page version after incorporating more than 114 provisions requested by Democrats. The text includes rules for non-decentralized finance protocols.

Protocols whose functions, operations, or rules can materially change through one person or coordinated group would face registration requirements. The bill directs the CFTC and Treasury to develop rules for those protocols.

It also asks regulators to assess securities, commodities, and anti-money laundering requirements. However, the revised text leaves major ethics provisions largely unchanged. Democratic lawmakers have identified those provisions as a central obstacle. The Justice Department would retain primary authority for enforcing conflict-of-interest rules.

Passage Odds Remain Low Ahead of Vote

Politico reported that the revised bill still lacks public Democratic support. Prediction platforms Polymarket and Kalshi place the chances of passage before year-end near 20%. The legislation passed the House in July after its introduction in May 2025. 

If the Senate rejects the procedural motion, lawmakers could revisit the bill during the lame-duck session or under a future Congress. Witt and Bessent have urged lawmakers to continue negotiations before September 15. The vote remains the bill’s immediate test.