TLDR
- President Trump urged Congress to pass “a fair version” of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act at a White House event with crypto CEOs
- Coinbase, Gemini, Ripple, and Chainlink Labs executives attended, with some joining Trump in the Oval Office
- The bill passed the House in July 2025 but has stalled in the Senate over ethics concerns tied to Trump’s crypto ties
- The Senate faces a key window in September before another recess, needing 60 votes for passage
- The SEC and CFTC are moving ahead with crypto regulations while waiting for Congress to act
President Donald Trump met with crypto company executives at the White House on Wednesday, calling on Congress to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Trump said the bill would keep the U.S. “ahead of China” and open the door to the next wave of innovation.
🇺🇸 White House Crypto Summit recap:
• President Trump says US considers buying "sizable" amounts of Bitcoin & other crypto.
• Trump calls on Congress to pass Crypto Clarity Act.
• Trump says US is ensuring it remains the "undisputed leader" in $BTC & crypto.
•…
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) August 19, 2026
The event brought together CEOs from Coinbase, Gemini, Ripple, and Chainlink Labs, among others. Trump said the legislation was “very bipartisan” and urged senators to move it forward.
What the Clarity Act Would Do
The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act sets out a framework for how crypto assets are regulated in the United States. It passed the House of Representatives in July 2025 but has been stalled in the Senate ever since.
The main sticking points include concerns over tokenized equities, stablecoin rewards, and potential conflicts of interest involving Trump and his family’s crypto business dealings.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the bill would make crypto policy in the U.S. durable for “decades and decades to come.” He speculated the bill could have more than 60 votes once the Senate takes up a cloture motion on September 15.
Some executives were invited into the Oval Office, where Trump asked for group feedback on what his administration should be doing. Chainlink Labs CEO Sergey Nazarov said Trump and his advisers “thought it was very doable” and identified only a small number of senators who still need to come on board.
Pushback From the Senate
Not everyone is on board. Senator Ruben Gallego, speaking at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, pushed back on Trump’s remarks.
“I think, unfortunately, what the president means is fair to him,” Gallego said, referring to the ethics language in the bill.
He added that it is not the president’s place to decide what level of regulation applies to him, noting that role belongs to Congress.
Regulators Moving Ahead
While Congress is in recess for another month, both the SEC and the CFTC are moving forward on their own.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the agency’s new crypto proposal this week gives entrepreneurs the certainty to raise capital using digital assets. He called the Clarity Act the most important priority and said the SEC is doing everything it can to support its passage.
The CFTC held its first Innovation Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, with a roster that includes the CEOs of Kraken, Anchorage Digital, Grayscale, and OKX. CFTC Chair Michael Selig said the agency would explore moving forward on crypto regulations while Congress remains out of session.
The Senate has a window in September to act on the bill before another recess that would carry Congress through to the November elections.
