The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) missed its best shot at becoming law this year. On August 8, 2026, Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture on the motion to proceed just before the chamber left for its summer recess. That sets up the first procedural vote for Tuesday, September 15, the day after senators return. It’s a lifeline, not a win. Without it the bill was all but dead for 2026.

Why the August 7 Deadline Came and Went

Negotiators had circled August 7 as the last realistic workday to get the CLARITY Act moving before recess. It didn’t happen. Thune told reporters that Democrats insisted on no vote, adding that Senator Cynthia Lummis “was great, and we’re getting that queued up first thing when we…