XRP Clarity Act Needs 60 Senate Votes After Thune Delay

XRP News

Senate Majority Leader John Thune must now decide whether to file a cloture motion, the procedural step that would let XRP (XRP) move closer to statutory U.S. market-structure rules. In the latest session, Thune did not make that filing, leaving the Clarity Act stuck before the debate-limiting stage that precedes a final Senate vote. The delay matters because the bill would sharpen the boundary between assets supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission and those overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a division that has shaped how banks, exchanges, and issuers treat major altcoin networks. For XRP holders and intermediaries, the absence of a cloture filing means the asset’s treatment remains tied to agency interpretation rather than a congressional statute. Senate Republicans control 53 seats, so the measure cannot reach the 60-vote cloture threshold without Democratic support. That arithmetic forces sponsors to negotiate, not merely schedule a vote. Temporary funding talks aimed at preventing a government shutdown consumed floor time, while disagreements over political-ethics language slowed compromise. Some senators are seeking tighter restrictions on public officials’ financial ties to crypto projects, including questions about donations, token ownership, and conflicts of interest. The bill also intersects with the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, whose provisions could narrow liability for developers, validators, and infrastructure providers. Those exemptions have become part of the bargaining problem because critics worry they may go too far, while industry advocates say they protect how open networks operate. With the August recess approaching, the Senate calendar is compressed. If Thune files cloture and secures 60 votes, the chamber could proceed; if not, the bill likely slips into the next legislative window. Any further slippage would keep compliance planning for XRP trading venues and custody services dependent on pending legislation rather than enacted law. The operative duty remains with Senate leadership: create a vote count before demanding a vote.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board has added pressure on senators to revise the Clarity Act before passage, arguing that the bill’s recognition of crypto’s gray-zone status is not enough. The board acknowledged that the legislation would give companies, investors, and banks more predictable rules, and it praised the effort to separate digital assets regulated by the SEC from those under the CFTC. Its central warning, however, is that the text could create a loophole allowing crypto exchanges to pay “rewards” to stablecoin holders, even though the GENIUS Act bars issuers from paying interest. The editorial, published Aug. 4, argued that such incentives could draw deposits away from traditional banks, placing banking-stability concerns beside crypto market-structure policy. It appeared while Senate Republicans continued trying to pass the package before the August recess and before any final measure could reach President Donald Trump’s desk. That matters for XRP because market-structure legislation is not only about one token’s classification; it also sets incentives for trading venues, liquidity programs, and dollar-linked products that may interact with the broader algorithmic stablecoins ecosystem. The board also urged tighter anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer language, saying exemptions for certain decentralized networks could open space for illicit finance. Industry figures pushed back quickly. DeFi Education Fund CEO Neeraj Agrawal rejected the idea that decentralized networks have a central operator, saying that the absence of an operator is the point. Blockchain Association CEO Ji Kim called the editorial “rife with factual and legal inaccuracies” and promised a detailed rebuttal. SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci framed the criticism as a banking-lobby attempt to delay progress. The exchange between traditional-finance critics and crypto advocates shows that senators must resolve two questions at once: which agency supervises which asset, and whether decentralized tools such as an automated market maker can fit existing intermediary rules. For XRP traders, that legislative friction may prolong uncertainty around listing standards, custody policies, and product design.

COINOTAG’s analysis ties the Senate delay and the editorial pressure to one arc: XRP’s U.S. regulatory route remains procedural, not statutory. The controlling instrument is the cloture mechanism, which requires 60 senators before debate can end and a final vote can follow; no cloture filing has been made. The Clarity Act is therefore a proposal, not a final rule, and it sets no requirement for exchanges, issuers, or wallet-signing practices such as blind signing until enacted. The live obligation sits with Thune and Senate sponsors: secure Democratic votes, resolve ethics and exemption language, and only then schedule passage. Until that duty is satisfied, XRP market participants must plan under interim agency guidance.