Senator Thom Tillis has warned he will vote against the CLARITY Act unless it includes ethics provisions restricting federal officials from issuing or promoting cryptocurrencies.
The demand makes Tillis the first Senate Banking Republican to publicly back such language, aligning with Democrats seeking tighter oversight amid growing political involvement in digital assets.
“There has to be ethics language in the bill before it leaves the Senate, or I’ll go from one of the people working on negotiating it to voting against it,”
Tillis reportedly said.
Democratic senators Adam Schiff and Ruben Gallego are leading negotiations on the provision, which would apply to officials including the president.
The push comes as crypto ventures tied to Donald Trump and his family reportedly exceed $1 billion in value, including projects such as World Liberty Financial and the USD1 stablecoin.
Negotiations are ongoing with involvement from figures including Cynthia Lummis and White House adviser Patrick Witt, as lawmakers aim to finalise the bill before upcoming elections.
The outcome will determine whether bipartisan support can be secured for the CLARITY Act, highlighting increasing scrutiny of political ties to the crypto industry.