Democrats Convene US Senate Crypto Bill Meeting as a16z Briefs Republicans on CLARITY Act & AI

Democrats met today to talk about potential aspects of moving forward with the US Senate crypto bill, clarifying crypto market structure after White House set March 1 deadline. Also, a16z executives lobby Senate Republicans to pass the CLARITY Act and secure leadership in AI.

Will Democrats Agree to Bipartisan Support in US Senate Crypto Bill?

Senate Democrats met to discuss the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act or CLARITY Act. This bill proposes splitting oversight between the SEC and the CFTC, setting clearer rules for crypto exchanges and platforms, and helping advance the United States’ leadership in the crypto space.

While Democrats have withheld support for Senate Committees’ versions of the crypto market structure bill, the White House’s March 1 deadline mandated parties to resolve disagreements over stablecoin yields.

Meanwhile, a16z lobbied Senate Republicans on crypto and artificial intelligence (AI). Prominent figures like Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon, briefed Republican senators on the need to pass the US Senate crypto bill and maintain U.S. leadership in crypto and AI.

“Great meeting. Today was primarily about the path forward for crypto market structure legislation. AI came up too. Important the U.S. remain the global leader for both technologies,” said a16z government affairs head Collin McCune.

As CoinGape reported earlier, the CLARITY Act remains stalled in the US Senate amid debates over stablecoin yields and developments to merge the Banking Committee and the Agriculture Committee’s versions.

Banks and Crypto Industry Leaders Divided amid Timeline Pressure

The biggest challenge is the rules for stablecoins yields, which Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and other crypto leaders contested. There is debate over whether issuers should be allowed to offer interest or yields, which has put banks and crypto companies at odds.

Democrats want stronger investor protection and rules to prevent illegal activity and favor banking laws. In contrast, Republicans and crypto industry groups support rules that encourage innovation in the U.S. without being too strict. Meanwhile, the OCC issues GENIUS Act proposal to issue stablecoins, but prohibits stablecoins yield.

If resolved, the reconciled bill could move toward a full Senate vote, potentially aligning with the House-passed CLARITY Act. But Senate progress stalled over provisions like tokenized assets, DeFi standards, and stablecoin policies.

Recent moves by committees, like the Agriculture panel advancing CFTC rules for spot markets, show progress. However, Democratic support is needed to pass the US Senate crypto bill. Talks are ongoing with major players like Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, Circle, and banking groups.

US Senate Crypto Bill Passing Odds Rise on Polymarket

As CoinGape reported, the odds of the “CLARITY Act signed into law in 2026” dropped to 47% after Trump’s State of the Union address.

However, Democrats’ latest meeting on potentially advancing the US Senate crypto bill and a16z’s urging Republicans to pass the CLARITY Act have raised odds for the bill to signed into law this year.

Polymarket data now shows the CLARITY Act passing odds in 2026 recovered to 69%. This shows increased optimism on the resolution of stabecoin yield concerns until the March 1 deadline.