President Trump Presses Senate On CLARITY Act, Says Inaction Hands China The Win

• President Trump urged the Senate to pass the CLARITY Act, warning that China is aggressively competing for leadership in crypto and artificial intelligence.
• White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt called the coming days a "critical week" for the legislation, saying further delays would be costly.
• The Senate has roughly four weeks before the August recess to advance the bill, a timeline many view as its last realistic opportunity this Congress.

President Trump pushed the Senate to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) on Monday, in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), warning that China is fighting hard to seize control of crypto and artificial intelligence (AI).

Trump appealed on Monday, in a post on Truth Social, writing that the Senate should pass the bill "in honor of" Graham, a "big supporter" of the legislation. He argued that China and other countries were vying for "complete and total control" of both crypto and artificial intelligence, cautioning against letting Beijing win ground on either front.

White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt echoed the urgency. In a post on X, he said that it was a "critical week for CLARITY, which also happens to be the first anniversary of GENIUS." 

He called it "a reminder of the incredible amount of hard work that has gone into this bill, but also of the time we've already lost." He further added, "We cannot afford to delay any longer."

Senate Faces A Four-Week Window To Act

The President’s post landed as the Senate returned from recess on Monday with roughly four weeks to schedule, debate, and vote on the CLARITY Act before the August break, a window widely seen as the bill's last realistic shot in the 119th Congress, according to a newsletter from Crypto in America.

The passage still hinged on two unresolved sticking points, according to the newsletter. The final language of the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) provision, which would shield non-custodial developers from being treated as money transmitters, and a still-unreached ethics agreement on conflicts of interest tied to Trump's own crypto business holdings, a fight involving Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), whose financial disclosure showed over $1 billion in crypto-related earnings last year. 

Graham's death, combined with Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) continued absence, leaves Republicans little room for error on the 60-vote threshold, according to Crypto in America.

Industry Sees Narrow Path Forward

Outlooks, however, remained split. Solana (SOL) Policy Institute President Kristin Smith told Crypto in America that "Nothing in Congress is ever certain, but I'm confident we have a real path to getting the Clarity Act signed into law... momentum is certainly building toward a floor vote." 

Meanwhile, Galaxy (GLXY) Digital Head of Research Alex Thorn was more cautious, calling the coming weeks "likely Clarity's last chance to pass in the 119th Congress" and putting the odds at 50%, citing a shrinking calendar and competing priorities like the National Defense Authorization Act, the report said.

Read also: Zcash Flashes Golden Cross: One VP Backing The Privacy Coin Calls It Bitcoin's 'Most Credible Complement'

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