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Crypto Industry Escalates State Lobbying Ahead of September 15 Senate Vote
Wednesday, 9 September 2026, 15:57
As lawmakers prepare for a pivotal vote, crypto groups and bankers are taking their case directly to voters across the country. The stakes reach far beyond digital assets.
The fight to pass a key cryptocurrency bill has moved beyond Washington. During Congress’s summer recess, the crypto industry and banking sector stepped up lobbying campaigns in the states represented by senators ahead of a procedural vote on September 15.
The bill, known as the “Clarity Act,” would establish which digital tokens qualify as securities and which as commodities, while also dividing authority between regulators. Cryptocurrency businesses believe the legislation would provide the industry with clear legal rules.
At the same time, Democrats and some Republicans say the bill lacks adequate safeguards against money laundering and conflicts of interest. Critics also fear that certain digital tokens could compete with bank deposits and weaken lending.
At least 60 votes are needed to pass the bill in the Senate. Analysts view its prospects as uncertain, but both sides are using the August recess to increase pressure on lawmakers in their home states.
The cryptocurrency industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on its political campaign. Its supporters are publishing op-eds in local newspapers, organizing meetings, and urging voters to call and write to their representatives in Congress.
Our strategy during the recess is to demonstrate the presence and determination of our community in every state and every congressional district.
According to Mason Lino, executive director of Stand With Crypto, an organization backed by cryptocurrency company Coinbase, its supporters placed op-eds in newspapers in Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Kansas. The organization also held events in Iowa, Michigan, and other states.
In August, activists made nearly 50,000 calls and sent emails to members of Congress. They are also helping organize in-person meetings between voters and lawmakers.
During his election campaign, US President Donald Trump supported the $2 trillion cryptocurrency sector and advocated policies more favorable to it. The White House is also actively backing the Clarity Act.
Crypto companies are seeking to get the bill passed by the end of the year. They fear that after the November midterm elections, Democrats could regain control of the House of Representatives, jeopardizing the current legislative opportunity. The cryptocurrency sector has already directed at least $190 million toward political projects ahead of the elections.
We are showing that the crypto community is everywhere and that voters who support cryptocurrency are paying attention.
At the end of July, the Blockchain Association launched a website that helps citizens and businesses contact senators and urge them to support the bill. Users can choose the issues that matter most to them, including consumer protection and clear rules, as well as the tone of their message – from urgent to emotional.
We need to keep up this pressure.
Banks oppose stablecoin provisions
Cryptocurrency companies say legal certainty will help preserve jobs and technological development in the United States. They also warn that a lack of regulation could send capital, talent, and new technologies overseas.
In an August op-ed, Jason Dodson, head of Stand With Crypto’s Kentucky chapter, urged Senator Rand Paul to support the bill.
Legal chaos is pushing capital, talent, and technological innovation out of the country.
Democrats insist that the bill needs stricter anti-money-laundering rules and ethical standards. Among Republicans, Senators James Lankford of Oklahoma and Mike Rounds of South Dakota were among those to express concern.
The Independent Community Bankers of America, which opposes the stablecoin provisions, urged its members to meet with senators in their states. Bankers are trying to convince lawmakers that certain provisions could harm traditional lending.
The organization focused not only on members of the Senate Banking Committee, which approved advancing the bill in May, but also on other senators.
During the August recess, the main focus was making sure senators heard from people in their communities, especially local bankers in their states.
The banking association also ran television advertisements in Washington and in states where senators’ votes are being contested. The ads emphasized that cryptocurrency ranks near the bottom among issues American voters consider important. A separate commercial aired during the US Open tennis tournament, calling for the bill to be revised and for small-business lending to be protected.
In Georgia, activists pressure Raphael Warnock
In Georgia, cryptocurrency supporters are trying to persuade Senator Raphael Warnock to back the bill. Tia Williams, head of Stand With Crypto’s local chapter and founder of a blockchain-based software platform, met with staff at his district office during the recess.
Raphael Warnock voted against advancing the bill out of the Senate Banking Committee. Representatives of his office declined to comment.
I realized that he and his team are well informed about the field, but at the same time want to make sure that ordinary Americans are protected.
The Georgia chapter also plans to organize visits to the senator’s office for local students interested in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. In addition, activists held events in Athens and Augusta.
The lobbying campaign in the states demonstrates how important the upcoming vote and political support have become to the cryptocurrency business ahead of the elections. At the same time, opposition from banks and concerns among some senators could make it more difficult to pass the Clarity Act on September 15.
You may be interested in these materials:
- Bitcoin rose above $80,000 for the first time in more than three months as a weaker dollar and renewed US crypto support boosted investor interest.
- Jay Clayton was confirmed by the Senate 51–47 as director of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence amid staff cuts, debate over ODNI’s mandate, and CIA influence.
- Senate Republicans published the Clarity Act to define regulator jurisdiction over digital assets, set AML rules, limit officials’ crypto issuance, and clarify tokenization and fundraising exemptions.
Source: mezha.net