CLARITY Act Could Hit Senate Floor Next Week — Here Is What House Rep. Bryan Steil Said

One day after the CLARITY Act’s final text failed to materialize despite widespread expectation it would circulate Thursday, a fresh signal of momentum emerged Friday. 

House Subcommittee Chairman Bryan Steil told Fox Business he is optimistic the Senate will bring the bill to the floor as soon as next week — a timeline that would put the legislation on track to pass before the August 7 recess deadline.

Steil Says Pass the Bill 

The comment came on a symbolically significant day. Exactly one year after the House passed the CLARITY Act with bipartisan support, Steil’s Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence held a field hearing at Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City. 

Steil used it to frame the CLARITY Act as the latest in a long line of congressional interventions that have kept American financial markets competitive and well-regulated through periods of technological change.

In his opening remarks, Steil described what he sees as the bill’s core purpose — establishing a framework that protects consumers, separates legitimate companies from bad actors, and positions the United States to attract both financial capital and talent in the digital asset space. 

The lawmaker also addressed the ethics objections that have become the bill’s most stubborn obstacle, dismissing them as another reason to pass clear digital asset rules rather than a reason to delay. As CryptoDepth has reported throughout this week, three disputes continue to block the bill from a Senate floor vote. 

The ethics provision remains the most politically charged — Democrats including Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona have made clear they will not support a version of the bill without enforceable language preventing government officials from profiting off digital assets. 

The stablecoin yield provision, contested by 78 banking groups who warned it could drain deposits from community banks, has not been resolved either. 

And the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), which remains a sticking point despite three law enforcement organizations shifting toward support earlier this month.

Why The CLARITY Act Is Running Out of Road

Thursday’s White House meeting between Trump and Republican senators did not produce the bill text that was expected to follow it. Democratic senators largely stayed away and signaled they would not support whatever version emerged. 

🚨The CLARITY Act text was supposed to drop Thursday after Trump met with senators at the White House. It did not.

🔴Democrats skipped the meeting. The votes are not there. Full story on CryptoDepth 👇#CLARITYAct #Crypto #Trump https://t.co/kok6WzhImw

— CryptoDepth (@CryptoDepthIO) July 17, 2026

Senator Ruben Gallego said the ethics language he had seen was “very weak” and that without stronger protections the Democratic votes simply were not there. But if the bill does not reach the Senate floor next week, the window closes fast. 

Friday, August 7, is the last day the Senate meets before the summer recess — and missing it would push the CLARITY Act’s realistic passage timeline well beyond this year. 

Galaxy Digital currently puts the odds of 2026 passage at 50-50. Steil’s optimism on Friday is a signal, but the math in the Senate has not changed yet.

Featured image generated with OpenArt.