Some details of the Clarity Act itself are still being negotiated. Provisions addressing illicit finance and agriculture issues are still under discussion, a legislative staffer told CoinDesk on Wednesday, not to mention the ethics provision aiming to block senior government officials like President Donald Trump from profiting off of the crypto industry.
The White House is still pondering a proposal on ethics language from Senators Thom Tillis and Ruben Gallego, which the senators sent to the White House last week. If the White House accepts the proposal, or has feedback on it, that could move the needle for Democrats on the vote.
Tillis told reporters on Wednesday that the White House had begun to engage with the proposal, Punchbowl News’ Brendan Pedersen reported.
Outside of the Clarity Act, the Senate is currently grappling with the nomination of Todd Blanche to become the next Attorney General, a continuing resolution to fund the federal government, a Russia sanctions bill and possibly a college sports bill.
Possible futures
If the Senate does leave town on Friday, then Wednesday night is essentially the final moment where Majority Leader John Thune can file for cloture, given that the Senate needs to let the motion ripen for a full day before it can take a first procedural vote. However, Thune can also announce that the Senate will continue working into the weekend or until next week on Thursday, which would give the Senate more time for Clarity.
