Update (Aug. 7, 2026, at 6:20 am UTC): Added comments from Crypto Council for Innovation CEO Ji Hun Kim.

Senate Republican leaders are expected to depart for their August recess without holding a vote on crypto market structure legislation, pushing consideration of the bill to at least September, according to a report from Politico.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed that the chamber would not vote on the legislation before the recess, citing Democratic opposition and pledging to prioritize it when senators return next month.

"The Dems are insistent on no Clarity vote," Thune said, according to comments his office provided to Cointelegraph. "I worked with sponsors of the bill. Senator Lummis was great, and we're getting that queued up first thing when we come back."

The delay leaves one of the crypto industry's top legislative priorities unresolved and narrows the Senate's already tight timetable for advancing the bill. The House passed its version of the CLARITY Act in July 2025 with bipartisan support, making the Senate the remaining hurdle before the legislation can reach the President's desk. Without sufficient Democratic support, Republicans may struggle to secure the 60 votes generally required to overcome a filibuster.

Crypto Council for Innovation CEO Ji Hun Kim called the postponement "disappointing" but emphasized that the legislation's trajectory remained unchanged. "Every day without such a framework pushes American users and builders offshore and leaves consumers at risk," Kim said in comments provided to Cointelegraph.

September Delay Narrows Path for CLARITY Act

Thune's remarks followed statements from Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, who said on Thursday that the chamber should hold its first vote on the CLARITY Act before the recess "without any question." Scott indicated that Thune still had time to schedule the procedural vote and that Republicans were gaining support for it.

The CLARITY Act would establish a federal framework for digital asset markets and clarify how oversight responsibilities are divided between the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The SEC–CFTC jurisdictional divide has been a long-standing source of uncertainty for the industry, determining whether a given digital asset is regulated as a security under the SEC or a commodity under the CFTC.

Citing three people with knowledge of the matter, Politico reported that the CLARITY Act lacks Democratic support, though negotiations remained underway.

Thune may still file cloture before the recess. This procedural step could position the bill for a vote when senators return in mid-September, but it would not itself constitute a vote on the legislation, according to two people cited by Politico. The September return will also coincide with a compressed legislative calendar, as Congress faces competing priorities including government funding deadlines.

Cointelegraph also asked Thune's office to confirm whether he intended to file cloture before the Senate departs for recess, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

The sources indicated that Democrats have declined to approve a time agreement that would expedite the Senate's remaining pre-recess business and allow the crypto bill to reach the floor. According to the report, Republican leaders would need unanimous consent from all 100 senators to complete the outstanding items without extending the session deep into next week.

Related: CLARITY Act failure could send crypto valuations lower: Bernstein