President Donald Trump plans to meet with a group of senators at the White House on Thursday afternoon to address the last major hurdle to the crypto market structure bill, according to people familiar with the plans who spoke. Politico and lawmakers involved in the negotiations.
The sticking point is the ethics section of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which would restrict senior government officials from having personal business interests in the crypto sector. Democrats have made such limits a condition of their support, largely to address Trump’s own ties to the industry.
Negotiators have not reached a compromise, and the Senate calendar leaves a narrow window.
Senator Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican in the talks, said senators will brief the president on the bill and its “path to success.”
“We’re going to talk about the whole bill. I mean, it’s clear that the president has been very committed to this bill,” Moreno said. “He’s the one who’s really driven the innovation that I think will pay off.”
Trump’s crypto revelations as the Clarity Act teeters
Clarity’s fate may depend on what Trump will accept and whether he will support a bill that restricts his own businesses. He has pushed the Senate to pass the legislation, although he has not disclosed what conflict-of-interest terms he will sign into law. His revelation that he made more than $1 billion from crypto engagements by 2025 gave critics fresh ammunition.
The bill cleared the Senate Banking Committee on a 15-9 vote, with Democrats Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks joining Republicans in advancing it. Both said in May they would not support final passage without an ethics provision. During the committee markup, an amendment by Senator Chris Van Hollen to exclude the president, vice president and members of Congress from crypto business ties 11-13 failed.
On Tuesday, a group of Democratic senators held a press conference to call for opposition to Clarity if it does not break what they call Trump’s “corrupt” ties to the sector. Gallego, who has been leading the ethics negotiations for several months, was not among them.
Timing on the revised text remains open. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican and chief architect of the bill, said a draft could circulate as soon as Wednesday, but that senators were considering whether to include the ethics language or bracket it until later.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hopes to bring the bill to the floor before the work period ends on Aug. 7. Asked if he would hold a vote without a deal with Democrats, Thune said, “at some point we will vote on it, yes.”
The chamber pauses for its summer break after the first week of August, which opens a narrow stretch to finish Clarity before members turn to the November half-term. Galaxy Research put the odds of passage at 50-50 as the clock ticks down.