The United States Senate temporarily postponed the review of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, increasing uncertainty over the progress of the main cryptocurrency regulation proposal in Congress in 2026.
The decision comes as senators focus their efforts on a package of federal nominations and a sanctions proposal against Russia. With a tight agenda, the Clarity Act lost space on the legislative calendar.
The postponement had a negative impact, and the price of Bitcoin (BTC) fell to near US$ 63.167,00, with a drop of approximately 3% in the last 24 hours.
The move comes as investors follow the next steps of regulation in the United States. The delay of the Clarity Act adds uncertainty to the regulatory timeline expected by the market.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune began handling the nominations on Monday. The expectation is that the Russia-related bill will take the floor on Tuesday night and enter the debate-closing process.
This procedure requires formal steps and waiting periods before a vote. As the Senate usually limits debate on controversial bills, the Clarity Act may remain stalled until other matters are concluded.
The latest outlook indicates that a vote is unlikely to occur before next week. The deadline gains importance because Congress's summer recess begins on 8 de agosto, reducing the time available to approve the proposal.
In addition to the calendar, senators still need to resolve disagreements over an ethics clause. The provision seeks to restrict the activities of senior government officials, including the current U.S. president, Donald Trump, in cryptocurrency-related projects.
The issue gained momentum after Trump accepted a clause that limits his interactions with digital assets. Democrats, however, considered the restrictions insufficient given Trump's business dealings related to the sector.
The proposal has already faced other obstacles in the Senate. Before the ethics issue, Republicans and Democrats debated rules involving rewards in stablecoins, while bankers pushed for limits to avoid direct competition with banking products.
Last week, the ethics issue reached a possible point of understanding. Trump agreed to accept restrictions on his interactions with digital assets, although Democrats defended broader rules.
Even with this understanding, the negotiations were not enough to immediately place the Clarity Act on the voting agenda. The lack of floor time became another relevant obstacle for the proposal.
The House of Representatives has already approved a similar version of the legislation, but the text will still need to clear the Senate. If it is modified during the process, it may also return to the House before proceeding to presidential sanction.
If the Clarity Act fails to gain space in 2026, the sector may depend more on the implementation of the GENIUS Act and on the regulatory initiatives of the SEC and the CFTC.
The legislative calendar leaves few opportunities. The House and Senate will return for a few weeks in September, before the transition period after the November elections.
During that interval, pending bills may face new political disputes. The so-called transition period may also accelerate some votes, although the lack of consensus has the potential to prevent progress.
Even if the Senate approves the Clarity Act, the proposal will still need to go back through the House if it undergoes changes. Only after that stage may it reach Trump's desk for possible sanction.
The current U.S. president has publicly defended the approval of clearer rules for the cryptocurrency market. Even so, the text faces political disagreements that may make its approval more difficult without further changes.
If an approved bill reaches the Presidency and remains without action for ten days, the legislation may automatically take effect, according to the applicable constitutional rules.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s drop to near US$ 63.167,00 once again puts the market’s reaction to regulatory decisions on investors’ radar. The progress of the Clarity Act will continue to be one of the main points followed by the cryptocurrency sector in the coming weeks.