Crypto Legislation Talks Stall in Senate Agriculture Committee

Bipartisan negotiations over crypto market structure have hit turbulence in the Senate Agriculture Committee, raising doubts about whether a long-anticipated draft will move forward smoothly. Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) is finalizing a new version of the bill, with a markup scheduled for January 15. But according to Politico reporter Jasper Goodman, Democrats have yet to sign on to the latest draft, creating a late-stage roadblock.

Loading tweet...

— View original post

The committee had spent months working toward a bipartisan framework, aiming to balance oversight between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Eleanor Terrett of Crypto in America noted that staff from both parties had invested heavily in keeping the process bipartisan, making the current impasse especially striking.

Loading tweet...

— View original post

The stakes are high. Last summer, the House Agriculture Committee passed its portion of the CLARITY Act with a 47–6 vote, a rare show of bipartisan support in financial regulation. That momentum raised expectations that the Senate could deliver a companion bill, giving the crypto industry a clearer regulatory path. Without alignment, the effort risks stalling just as stablecoins and digital asset platforms face heightened scrutiny from regulators and investors.

Industry insiders point to the timing as critical. With Circle and Coinbase securing limited OCC charters in late 2025, and World Liberty Financial applying for its own trust bank license this month, lawmakers are under pressure to define how digital assets fit into the broader financial system. A fractured Senate draft could delay that clarity, leaving firms to navigate overlapping rules from multiple agencies.

For now, Boozman’s January 15 markup looms as a test. If Democrats remain off the draft, the committee risks losing the bipartisan credibility it worked to build. And without that, the chances of passing a unified crypto market structure bill in 2026 grow slimmer.