The U.S. Senate has delayed the Clarity Act to prioritize a Russia sanctions bill and Trump nominations. Voting on the crypto bill is now unlikely before next week, leaving only a few days before the August 8 recess.
Senate Leader John Thune Prioritizes Trump Nominations and Russia Sanctions Bill
Senate Republicans planned to pursue a procedural vote on the Clarity Act to decide on the ethics rules, schedule, or debate limits for the crypto bill. The crypto industry expects bipartisan support in the Senate floor vote to pass the Clarity Act before the recess before the August 8 recess.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture on Executive Calendar #6, S.Res.817 (en bloc nominations), according to the Senate press. This signals that the Senate will vote on all Trump nominations together.
On July 28, the Senate will vote on confirmation of Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence at 6:30 pm. Following the confirmation vote, the Senate is expected to proceed with H.R. 5334, the Legislative vehicle for the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026.
“After processing this next batch of 74 Trump nominees, the Senate will have confirmed nearly every nominee available for floor consideration. My Senate GOP colleagues and I are also advancing legislation thats key to our shared Republican agenda,” said Majority Leader John Thune.
After processing this next batch of 74 Trump nominees, the Senate will have confirmed nearly every nominee available for floor consideration. My @SenateGOP colleagues and I are also advancing legislation thats key to our shared Republican agenda. pic.twitter.com/T3Mzh9wHE0
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) July 28, 2026
This leaves the Clarity Act to delay further amid Democrats‘ opposition to ethics rules and bank lobbying on stablecoin yield concerns. “There’s a lot of swirl around it, on yield, some of the things that the banks care deeply about,” Senator Thune added as he expects a fair amendment process.
Voting on the Clarity Act is now viewed as unlikely before next week, leaving only a narrow window of final legislative days before the Senates August 8 recess.
Clarity Act Crypto Bill Faces Setback in Senate
The Clarity Act has been on the Senate legislative calendar since early June but has faced repeated delays amid ongoing negotiations over ethics provisions and other issues.
Meanwhile, NY Attorney General Letitia James urged Congress not to pass the Clarity Act. She claims the crypto bill would “neuter” state and local law enforcement efforts to crack down on “rampant” fraud in crypto markets.
Democratic senators have also voiced concerns, saying the Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot be the sole enforcer of the ethics provision and pushing for state prosecutors to also have the power to enforce the rule.
The crypto industry still expects Senate to pass the crypto bill before the August recess. The crypto industry advocates urged Congress to prioritize the Clarity Act passage, warning that further delay could push the most-awaited crypto market structure legislation into 2027.
The odds of Clarity Act passage in 2026 have already dropped below 38% amid recent delays and opposition. This comes despite endorsement by Charles Schwab, BlackRock, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, and Grayscale to pass the crypto bill before recess.