Breaking: Senate Leader Thune Holds Off Clarity Act Cloture amid CR Delays & Vote Concerns

Senate Majority Leader John Thune did not file a cloture motion on the Clarity Act in recent session, narrowing the window for procedural votes on the crypto bill. This comes amid delays in a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government and a lack of votes amid unresolved issues such as ethics concerns.

Senate Leader John Thune Skips Filing Cloture on Clarity Act

Senate prioritized a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown. Notably, the Senate voted 89-4 to prevent a government shutdown before the midterm elections.

Crypto In America host Eleanor Terrett said, procedural issues related to the CR caused Senate Leader Thune to avoid filing cloture for the Clarity Act. Also, voting seems uncertain amid a filibuster over concerns such as ethics rules and the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA).

Republicans hold 53 seats, so the bill needs significant Democratic support. Meanwhile, the White House has yet to decide on the new bipartisan ethics counteroffer from Senators.

Terrett noted that some lawmakers now appear focused on forcing a floor vote simply to put senators on the record, even if the bill fails to reach the 60-vote threshold. Under Senate rules, filing cloture triggers an intervening day plus one hour before the initial cloture vote can occur.

As CoinGape reported in a live blog, the WSJ Editorial Board called on Senate Republicans to make changes to it. The crypto bill “could exploit this exemption to route illicit payments,” the WSJ stated. This sparked pushback from the crypto community against the report.

What’s Next in Senate?

Once the CR issues are resolved, John Thune could file cloture on Wednesday, which would begin the process toward a potential procedural vote. It requires 60 votes to invoke cloture and advance the crypto bill for a Senate vote.

Notably, a potential Clarity Act vote would happen after the scheduled 30 hours of invoking cloture.

Today, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Erica Schwartz to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If the cloture is invoked, the Senate will proceed with roll call votes on Schwartz’s confirmation.

In addition, the Senate will also proceed with roll call votes on a motion to invoke cloture on S.Res.817, the en bloc consideration of 74 nominations. This leaves a window for the Clarity Act cloture by John Thune and to invoke cloture on the crypto bill to narrow further before the August recess.

Some Democrats are concerned that aggressive political activity by crypto-backed groups may be able to harm negotiations further if it targets competitive races prior to the return of Congress in September.