The White House has agreed to the CLARITY Act ethics package. These are the conflict-of-interest rules that froze the crypto bill for months. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the Senate is now at the 1-yard line.
Bitcoin (BTC) climbed toward $67,000 on the news. Here is what the deal says, and why traders like it.
What Is the CLARITY Act Ethics Package?
Start with the bill itself. The Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act would give US crypto its first full federal rulebook.
The split is simple. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) would police digital commodities like Bitcoin. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would keep tokens that act like securities.
The House passed the bill 294-134 in a bipartisan vote on July 17, 2025. Then it hit a wall. It needs 60 Senate votes, and it stalled before the Senate floor over one clause.
That clause is the ethics package. It would stop the president, the vice president, lawmakers, and senior officials from profiting from crypto while in office.
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Why did Democrats insist on it? Trump’s money. The president’s annual disclosure listed $635 million in meme coin royalties. It showed another $515 million from World Liberty Financial token sales.
The fight is not new. In May, Senator Chris Van Hollen offered an amendment to ban officials and their families from owning or promoting crypto. Republicans blocked it. The bill cleared committee 15-9, with just two Democrats, Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks, on board.
Last week, that wall cracked. Trump met Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno in the Oval Office. On Monday, the White House agreed and sent the language to Senate Republicans.
Senator Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, confirmed one more change. The Department of Justice (DOJ) would enforce the rules, not individual state attorneys general.
Why the CLARITY Act Ethics Package Is Bullish for Bitcoin
The math explains the excitement. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats. At least seven Democrats must cross over. The ethics deal answers their biggest objection. Watch Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Mark Warner, who want illicit finance safeguards first.
The administration is pushing hard. Bessent said lawmakers are at the “1-yard line,” Bloomberg reported Tuesday. He wants the bill passed before the August recess.
Markets voted fast. The $63 billion market rebound lifted total crypto value 2.8% to $2.32 trillion. Bitcoin trades near $66,604, up 2% in a day. Coinbase stock jumped as much as 12%.
The deeper case is simple. Clear rules end years of regulation by lawsuit. That lowers risk for banks, funds, and custodians. Meanwhile, the Bitcoin ETF inflow streak is back. About $727 million entered US spot funds in five days.
The chart helps too. Glassnode data shows only about 1% of Bitcoin supply last changed hands between here and $70,685. Little stands in the way.
What Could Still Go Wrong
Plenty. Van Hollen and Senator Elizabeth Warren say the draft weakens consumer protections rather than adding them.
“While the CLARITY Act may seek to do that, it not only fails to achieve those goals but also risks deregulating existing markets and opening the door to further corruption and abuse.”
Traders stay cautious too. Last week, Polymarket passage odds fell to 38% for 2026 before the breakthrough. The odds have since sprung up, however, amid recent developments.
History adds a warning. Trump signed the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin law, in July 2025. Crypto’s total value crossed $4 trillion for the first time. Yet regulators missed that law’s one-year rule deadline just last Saturday. Passage is a catalyst, not a finish line.
The clock is the last risk. Majority Leader John Thune must fit a floor vote into a tight Senate floor window before recess starts on August 7.
For now, the bill’s biggest weakness has become its momentum. Bitcoin sits about 5% below $70,000. Watch for the updated text, and for the first Democrat to say yes.