Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Urged Senate to Preserve CLARITY Act
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse had urged U.S. senators to preserve the CLARITY Act despite unresolved policy disagreements, arguing that months of negotiations had produced meaningful compromises in the proposed cryptocurrency market structure framework.
Garlinghouse made the case in a post on X ahead of the Senate’s Sept. 15 procedural vote, saying lawmakers should recognize the policy changes negotiated between Republicans and Democrats rather than abandon the legislation because some provisions remained disputed.
“This bill isn’t just a compromise,” Garlinghouse wrote, emphasizing what he described as substantive policy exchanges during the negotiations.
The Senate subsequently voted 49-50 against advancing the legislation, leaving it short of the 60 votes required for the procedural motion. The vote was not final passage of the CLARITY Act, and Sen. Thom Tillis later moved to preserve a potential path for reconsideration.
Garlinghouse Backed the Negotiated CLARITY Act Framework
Before the vote, Garlinghouse argued that lawmakers had already made significant policy concessions while developing the latest version of the bill.
His comments echoed an earlier position that the pursuit of perfect legislation should not prevent achievable regulatory progress. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had also supported moving the proposal forward.
The CLARITY Act is designed to establish a federal framework for digital assets and clarify regulatory responsibilities among major U.S. financial regulators. Supporters have argued that clearer rules could provide cryptocurrency companies with greater certainty around registration, compliance, trading and consumer protections.
The legislation, however, remained subject to disagreements over several provisions, including ethics requirements, stablecoin rewards, enforcement authority and the treatment of digital asset businesses.
Senate Negotiations Failed to Produce Enough Support
Senate Republicans released a substantially revised version of the CLARITY Act after negotiations with Democratic lawmakers. The latest package incorporated more than 100 substantive changes requested by Democrats, with later reporting putting the number of changes at 126.
The revisions briefly lifted expectations that the bill could clear its procedural hurdle. Prediction-market odds for the legislation becoming law in 2026 rose from the low twenties to roughly 35% during the period of renewed negotiations.
Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz also expressed confidence that lawmakers could reach an agreement.
That optimism weakened as Democratic senators continued to argue that important issues had not been adequately resolved. Sen. Mark Warner said the Republican concessions did not go far enough, while Sen. Ruben Gallego maintained that weaknesses remained in the revised legislation. Staff for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Banking Committee also circulated arguments against the compromise.
The disagreements meant that negotiations had not produced a publicly established 60-vote coalition before the Senate acted.
CLARITY Act Stalls After Procedural Vote
The Senate’s Sept. 15 vote ultimately failed to meet the 60-vote threshold required to advance the legislation. Four Republican senators also voted against the motion, according to reporting on the vote.
The failed procedural vote does not legally constitute final passage or a final vote rejecting the CLARITY Act itself. Tillis, who initially voted in favor before changing his vote to no, subsequently sought reconsideration, leaving a procedural route for another attempt.
The outcome nevertheless leaves the proposed market structure legislation stalled after months of negotiations.
Garlinghouse’s pre-vote intervention reflected Ripple’s support for establishing a federal framework for digital assets, while the Senate result showed that the negotiated changes had not yet produced enough support to clear the chamber’s procedural threshold.
Writer: Marcus RenfieldCrypto Market Analyst & Onchain WriterMarcus Renfield covers cryptocurrency markets with a focus on onchain data, Bitcoin price action, and emerging market narratives. His writing examines how capital flows, network activity, and broader market structure influence short- and medium-term trends.He aims to provide clear, data-informed analysis for readers seeking a deeper understanding of crypto market dynamics.