CLARITY Act: Bessent Slams Coinbase CEO, Calls for Compromise in White House Meeting Today

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has hit back at Coinbase CEO’s for the delay of the CLARITY Act. These comments came ahead of the White House meeting set to be held today between crypto firms and banks.

Bessent Pushes for Middle-Ground Solution on CLARITY Act

In an interview with FOX News, the U.S. Treasury secretary called on the parties involved to reach a compromise on the concerns that are holding up the crypto bill. He especially mentioned that it is highly paramount that this legislation is advanced as the country needs the clarity “now more than ever.”

BREAKING: Treasury Secretary Bessent calls for passage of the CLARITY Act to advance President Trump’s crypto agenda, slams “recalcitrant actors” for blocking the bill. pic.twitter.com/S3XJfkIA3F

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 9, 2026

He then hit at Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong for his perception of the CLARITY Act. Armstrong had earlier shared that it was better to have no crypto bill than a bad one. Bessent maintained that there would be legislation amid Trump’s push to be the “crypto capital of the world.”

“We’ve got a few recalcitrant actors who say, well, be better to have no legislation than the legislation we don’t want.” he said. “For crypto to remain a viable digital asset and move forward we need to get this CLARITY Act done”

The calls come ahead of the second White House meeting set to take place today. The firms would discuss the current issues with the CLARITY Act. Crypto firms and banks had met last week for the first round of negotiations, but no specific solution was reached.

Why Today’s White House Meeting is Key

Today’s White House meeting could determine the fate of stablecoins in the United States. It could also, subsequently, affect the crypto market at large. The meeting is geared towards resolving the standoff on the CLARITY Act that is currently being held up in the Senate.

Based on the situation, it is clear that if the parties concerned continue to delay their action on the crypto bill, it would cause a crypto market downturn. However, the major concern remains whether crypto firms can pay their customers their interest through stablecoins.

To add, there is the issue of the Federal Reserve’s skinny master accounts. As the topic of stablecoin yield stands to dominate the White House crypto meeting, the Fed’s “skinny” master account proposal is also dividing the crypto space and the banking industry.

The account will provide fintech companies with limited access to the Fed’s payment systems. As expected, the proposal is causing tension between the crypto world and the banking industry.

Most importantly, if a compromise can be drafted that resolves this yield dispute in the CLARITY Act, then the Senate Banking Committee can reschedule its markup and finally move this stalled crypto market bill forward.