CLARITY Act Hits New Hurdle As Senator Tillis Says Ethics Deal ‘Not Quite There’

The Senate’s crypto ethics agreement faces yet another hurdle. This roadblock comes as Senator Thom Tillis states that it still requires some work before it can move forward with the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act.

Senator Tillis Opens Up On CLARITY Act Ethics Deal

Tillis offered his remarks after a bipartisan meeting with the staff on the latest draft of the CLARITY Act. For this, the White House and Sens. Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno negotiated the ethics proposal.

According to Punchbowl News reporter Brendan Pedersen, Tillis noted that the ethics agreement “not quite there.” Hence, the latest CLARITY Act proposal text isn’t available to the public. This is why the text has not been read by most of the Republican senators or Senate Democrats.

Further, Tillis raised issues about the exceptions in the CLARITY Act text. Pedersen said his concerns weren’t directed at the White House. Rather, Tillis asked about the exemptions used in the proposed.

News in PBN Texts: Sen. Tillis (R-N.C.) says the Lummis-Moreno-White House crypto ethics deal is “not quite there” after being briefed by staff earlier today. The ethics deal has yet to be released to the public, Senate Democrats or most Republicans pic.twitter.com/icMvYcHteh

— Brendan Pedersen (@BrendanPedersen) July 21, 2026

“The main thing is, I think we have to apply the same sorts of rules to everybody. There can’t be any exceptions based on office,” Senator Tillis said.

When asked about the proposal, he said it was “OK.” However, he added, “It’s a good step in the right direction. Not quite there.” He said there are more changes to come before the bill is brought to the floor of the Senate.

Overview of Recent Progress On The Crypto Bill

The new comments follow despite some progress in recent days on the CLARITY Act negotiations. After weeks of wrangling, President Donald Trump reportedly agreed to the ethics provisions, making progress toward the possibility of an agreement. The final language for the legislation has not yet been released, though.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is also confident that the legislators are close to an agreement. He said there is a “good chance” that Republicans and Democrats can come up with a bipartisan solution before the legislation is put into a bill for floor consideration.

There are 53 Republican seats in the Senate, which are in favor of the CLARITY Act. Hence, the floor still requires at least seven Democratic votes to overcome the 60-vote floor in the Senate. That requirement has provided Democrats with an influence over provisions for ethics and customer protection.

Earlier, Senator Cynthia Lummis’ office had said that talks with the White House were “went well.” A spokesperson also said “the ethics text set to release in the coming days will reflect that productive conversation,” per Eleanor Terrett.

The discussions have continued, but Tillis’ latest remarks indicate some Republican lawmakers still wish to make changes prior to the ethics package being included in the Senate’s final CLARITY Act text.

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