Blockchain Association cites 160 former officials in push for CLARITY Act

Blockchain Association has rallied support from 160 former national security and law enforcement officials for the CLARITY Act as the crypto market structure bill awaits consideration by the full U.S. Senate.

According to a letter sent Tuesday by the Blockchain Association to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, former officials from national security and law enforcement backgrounds urged lawmakers to approve the legislation, arguing that it would strengthen oversight of digital asset markets rather than weaken it.

The group said the CLARITY Act contains provisions that expand law enforcement tools and financial crime prevention measures across the crypto sector. In the letter, signatories argued that the legislation would improve investigators’ ability to track illicit activity while bringing more digital asset activity under U.S. regulatory supervision.

Support for the bill comes as lawmakers continue debating the measure’s final form. Discussions in Congress have included whether ethics restrictions should be added to limit elected officials’ participation in crypto-related business ventures, an issue that has drawn attention because of President Donald Trump’s digital asset interests.

Former officials back enforcement provisions

Within the letter, the officials highlighted several sections they believe would strengthen compliance and enforcement efforts, including expanded obligations tied to the Bank Secrecy Act and U.S. sanctions rules, along with Treasury Department-led information sharing between government agencies and private sector participants.

The proposal would also establish a permanent interagency working group dedicated to crypto-related illicit finance investigations, according to the letter.

Describing the bill as an enforcement measure rather than a rollback of oversight, the signatories wrote that the provisions are intended to improve compliance, accountability, coordination, and visibility throughout digital asset markets.

Separately, the Blockchain Association said it plans to increase its advocacy efforts in Washington. The organization is preparing meetings across 18 Senate offices and will host a virtual town hall on Thursday focused on the bill’s law enforcement and national security implications.

Scheduled participants include Senator Cynthia Lummis, Representative Tom Emmer, and Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets.

The Blockchain Association has remained active on several policy issues in Washington this year. In April, the group’s executive vice president of legal and government relations, Ashok Pinto, urged the Federal Reserve to formally remove “reputation risk” from bank supervision rules, arguing that the standard had contributed to debanking concerns affecting crypto firms and created uncertainty for regulated businesses.

CLARITY Act advances toward Senate debate

Momentum around the legislation has increased since the Senate Banking Committee approved the CLARITY Act in a 15-9 bipartisan vote in May. As previously reported by crypto.news, the bill has since been placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar, making it eligible for floor consideration once Senate leadership schedules debate.

Senator Lummis has previously said the legislation could help settle the long-running jurisdictional dispute between the SEC and CFTC over digital asset oversight. Coinbase has also described the bill as nearing completion, while institutional investors have already begun trading on its prospects through prediction market contracts facilitated by Galaxy Digital.