Senator Bernie Moreno Issues End-of-May Ultimatum on CLARITY Act, Warning Failure to Pass Before Memorial Day Could Shelve Bill Until 2030

Senator Bernie Moreno warned at a Washington event that the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act must pass Congress by end of May or risk being shelved until 2030, moving Polymarket odds from 38% to 46%. The bill faces a compressed timeline with only about a dozen Senate work weeks before November 2026 midterms and multiple hurdles including Senate Banking Committee hearing, reconciliation with the Agriculture Committee version, and likely re-approval by the House. The primary obstacle remains an unresolved dispute over stablecoin rewards programs, with bank lobbyists opposing them as threats to their deposit business while Coinbase and the Trump White House support structured rewards akin to credit-card incentives. Additional complications include Democratic demands for ethics provisions limiting officials like President Trump from profiting off crypto and Trump's March 2026 statement refusing to sign bills until voter citizenship verification legislation passes.

Legislative Timeline and Scheduling Pressures for the CLARITY Act

• ▪Crypto investment firm Galaxy estimates the odds of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act being signed into law in 2026 are roughly 50-50 or possibly lower
• ▪The U.S. Senate has pressing matters on its plate before the November 2026 elections including the Department of Homeland Security funding battle, clashes over the Iran war, voter identification debate, and Federal Reserve nominations
• ▪The U.S. House of Representatives would need to approve the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act again because the current version is very different from the version the House advanced in 2025
• ▪Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters that earlier hopes for April 2026 progress on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act was likely slipping into May 2026

Stablecoin Yield Debate Between Banking and Crypto Industries

• ▪An unresolved stablecoin matter from the GENIUS Act has delayed progress on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act since the start of 2026

Political Obstacles and Requirements for Final Passage

• ▪President Donald Trump said in March 2026 that he would not sign any bill until he gets legislation approved that would demand voters prove their citizenship before they can cast ballots
• ▪The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act would become the second major crypto bill to become law, joining the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act passed in 2025