Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Urges Lawmakers to “Finish the Job” on the CLARITY Act
Key Takeaways
- •Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said making the United States the world's crypto capital is 'within reach' and called for legislation such as the CLARITY Act to be completed.
- •A White House gathering in late August brought together crypto, traditional finance, and technology executives, with President Trump acknowledging Garlinghouse on live television.
- •The CLARITY Act would statutorily divide digital asset jurisdiction between the SEC and CFTC, addressing ambiguity that fueled enforcement disputes including the SEC-Ripple litigation.
- •A procedural vote on the CLARITY Act is scheduled for September 15, 2026, and the act could slip to year-end given a limited House calendar.
- •While Congress was in recess, the SEC issued 'Regulation Crypto Assets' and the CFTC moved to dismiss CME's lawsuit over perpetual futures, though agency rules are more vulnerable to revision or challenge than federal statutes.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has declared that the United States government’s ambition of making the country the global crypto capital is “within reach,” calling on policymakers to “finish the job” on key legislation, including the closely watched CLARITY Act.
One More Road to Cross: Claiming “Crypto Capital” Status
Garlinghouse’s remarks came shortly after Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Michael Selig discussed a landmark White House gathering held in late August, which brought together executives from crypto, traditional finance (TradFi), and major technology companies.
Proud to be in the room. Making America the crypto capital of the world is within reach – let’s finish the job — Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) September 3, 2026
Proud to be in the room. Making America the crypto capital of the world is within reach – let’s finish the job
Markets reacted quickly, with general public sentiment flipping back to bullish. Garlinghouse expressed gratitude at standing in the room with U.S. President Donald Trump, who gave the Ripple CEO a shout-out on live television.
In the aftermath, the White House promised to advance discussions on approving the CLARITY Act as soon as the Senate Banking Committee returns to work in mid-September.
The CLARITY Act is a market-structure bill designed to establish a statutory division of jurisdiction over digital assets between the SEC and the CFTC, clarifying which tokens count as securities and which fall under commodity regulation — the ambiguity at the heart of years of U.S. crypto enforcement disputes, including the long-running SEC-Ripple litigation. For firms like Ripple, statutory clarity would provide legal certainty that agency-level rulemaking alone cannot guarantee.
Under the current schedule, the House may hold fourteen legislative sessions before departing for another recess, which could push the act to year-end 2026. The procedural vote is set for September 15, 2026 — a date XRP holders are marking on their calendars.
SEC & CFTC Write Legislative Alternatives as the Senate Sleeps
With the legislation put on hold before the summer recess, the SEC and CFTC took matters into their own hands and began building their own legal frameworks around crypto. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released “Regulation Crypto Assets” last month.
More recently, the CFTC asked a federal judge to dismiss CME’s lawsuit over the approval of perpetual futures.
LATEST: ⚖️ The CFTC has asked a federal judge to dismiss CME's lawsuit over its approval of crypto perpetual futures, arguing CME can't show any concrete financial harm. pic.twitter.com/FE03QWkAD5 — CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) September 3, 2026
LATEST: ⚖️ The CFTC has asked a federal judge to dismiss CME's lawsuit over its approval of crypto perpetual futures, arguing CME can't show any concrete financial harm. pic.twitter.com/FE03QWkAD5
Market specialists characterize the CFTC as pro-onshore and commodity-first, operating with a “we’ll write the rules if Congress doesn’t” approach.
Still, these newly independent regulatory frameworks can hardly match the statutory division that the CLARITY Act would provide, since agency rules can be revised or challenged in ways federal statutes cannot. The market is now waiting on a notably tight calendar.
