Sen. Tim Scott Says First CLARITY Act Vote Still Possible as Senate Weighs August Recess Delay

Senate Banking Committee Chair Senator Tim Scott has said they could still hold a first vote on the CLARITY Act before heading into their August recess. He also accused Democrats of slowing negotiations even as Republicans push to get the crypto bill across the finish line.

Senator Tim Scott Says CLARITY Act Vote Could Still Hold

In a FOX Business interview, the Senate Banking Chair said that they should have the first vote on the crypto bill before the recess and that Majority Leader John Thune has the opportunity to make this happen. He added that they would likely be on Capitol Hill for longer than just the remaining two days before their recess.

“So the good news is that we have the time to get it done,” he said regarding the CLARITY Act. He added that the crypto bill is in the best interest of protecting consumers and allowing innovation in America.

Senator Scott’s comment comes as a delay in the Senate recess remains a possibility. The Communications Director for the Majority Leader, Ryan Wrasse, said in an X post yesterday that the pending items could take them into next week if they are unable to reach a time agreement on these items. He added that they are also continuing conversations on the crypto bill and a budget resolution.

Senate watchers: In terms of next steps, we’ve got cloture/confirmation of the en bloc package of 74 nominees, cloture/adoption of the substitute amendment to the CR, cloture/adoption of the underlying vehicle for the CR, cloture on the bipartisan NIL bill, and, depending on how…

— Ryan Wrasse (@RWrasse) August 5, 2026

However, with the Senate Majority Leader yet to file for a cloture vote, optimism continues to fade that the Senate will pass the bill this year. Data from the top prediction market platform Polymarket shows only a 17% chance that President Trump will sign the bill into law this year.

Democrats Stonewalling Negotiations

Senator Tim Scott also accused Democrats of stonewalling, noting that they continue to shift goalposts whenever they make headway on CLARITY Act negotiations. “Democrats have that as their ultimate strategy,” he said.

This echoes Senator Cynthia Lummis’ statement, where she said that if the CLARITY Act dies, it will be because of Democrats. However, the Senate Banking Chair said they will be able to get Democrats’ votes once they get all Republicans on board.

As CoinGape reported, GOP Senator Josh Hawley said he will oppose the crypto bill over community bank fears of deposit flight due to stablecoin yields. Senator Thom Tillis has also said that he will vote no on the bill if they are unable to implement the bipartisan ethics provision.

As of now, the White House has yet to sign off on the bipartisan ethics provision that senators Tillis and Ruben Gallego put forward. This remains the major issue holding up a vote on the CLARITY Act.

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