The CLARITY Act, formally known as H.R. 3633, sailed through the House of Representatives with a 294-134 vote on July 17, 2025, carrying the kind of bipartisan support that crypto lobbyists once considered a fantasy. The Senate Banking Committee advanced it 15-9 on May 14, 2026. And then things got complicated.
The conflict at the center of it all
President Trump has used Truth Social to promote the CLARITY Act, framing it as essential to positioning the US as a global leader in digital assets. The problem is what else Trump’s family has been doing in the space.
The $TRUMP and $MELANIA meme tokens have drawn intense scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers, who see a sitting president’s family profiting directly from the asset class he’s simultaneously trying to deregulate.
Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee are now pushing amendments that would prevent high-ranking government officials, including the president, from benefiting financially from digital assets while serving in office. The CLARITY Act needs bipartisan support to clear the Senate, and Democrats have made their price clear: ethics provisions or no deal.
