Change of plans in the Senate: The long-awaited CLARITY Act suffers a last-minute delay

The Senate Agriculture Committee postpones its review of the CLARITY Act until late January. John Boozman is seeking to secure bipartisan support amid a tense political climate.

The US regulatory agenda has undergone a tactical shift that alters the immediate expectations of the digital asset market. John BoozmanThe chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee has decided to postpone the evaluation session of the bill on the structure of the cryptocurrency market, initially scheduled for Thursday, January 15, 2026. The new tentative date is in the last week of the month, a decision that, far from signaling a cancellation, responds to the critical need to consolidate bipartisan support before submitting the text to a vote.

This news comes at a highly sensitive time for the cryptocurrency market, which was expecting this week to be a decisive milestone for US regulation.

However, Eleanor Terrett, presenter of Crypto in AmericaHe commented that this delay is not a simple scheduling adjustment; rather, it represents a calculated political maneuver in a divided Congress. The Committee's intention is to align its positions with the Senate Banking Committee and prevent technical or ideological disagreements from derailing legislation that has been in development for months. Therefore, Boozman has decided to prioritize the strength of the agreement over the speed of the process, aware that introducing the bill without the necessary votes could doom the initiative to failure and prolong the regulatory limbo affecting the crypto industry. 

The impact of the CLARITY Act on the structure of the crypto market

This piece of legislation in question, known in the financial and political circles of 2026 as the CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act)It represents much more than a simple bureaucratic procedure. Its central objective is to resolve the long-standing jurisdictional conflict that has hindered crypto innovation on American soil: the dispute over jurisdiction between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). 

The cryptocurrency industry has been clamoring for years for a precise definition that establishes when a digital asset behaves like a security and when it should be treated as a digital commodity. commodity And the CLARITY Act proposes to solve precisely this. 

With its development, lawmakers seek to establish a comprehensive framework that would allow cryptocurrency companies to operate with clear federal licenses, eliminating the uncertainty of surprise enforcement actions by federal agencies. Under the CLARITY Act, strict requirements are established for asset custody, consumer protection, and segregation of funds, directly addressing lessons learned from the collapses of major platforms in previous years. 

Furthermore, the regulatory project addresses thorny issues such as the prohibition of certain incentives or returns on payment stablecoins, seeking to clearly differentiate payment instruments from investment products. For institutional players waiting on the sidelines, the approval of this framework is the necessary green light to enter the market with substantial capital, knowing that there is an arbiter and a defined set of regulations.

Given its importance and potential impact, Boozman's postponement of the session will give lawmakers time to refine technical details on how the new rules will apply to the industry, especially in sectors like decentralized finance (DeFi) and stablecoins. Clarity on these points is essential for traditional banks and investment funds to integrate digital assets into their portfolios without the risk of facing coercive action from regulators. Therefore, the market interprets these two additional weeks as a necessary adjustment period to ensure the final text is both technically feasible and politically acceptable to both houses of Congress.

The cryptocurrency dilemma of 2026

Despite the efforts of lawmakers like Boozman to keep the debate on technical and bipartisan ground, the political environment surrounding cryptocurrencies in 2026 has undeniably become complex. 

The United States' aspiration to lead global financial innovation sometimes clashes with the reality of its own internal polarization. While committees work on the fine print of regulation, influential voices within the industry itself have raised concerns about the dangers of cryptocurrencies becoming a partisan issue.

A prominent example of this concern comes from Charles HoskinsonHoskinson, founder of Cardano, has been vocal about how recent political movements have affected legislative progress. He has argued that the direct involvement of polarizing political figures, such as President Donald Trump, in launching commercial cryptocurrency and "memecoin" projects has complicated the landscape. According to his analysis, these actions have unfairly linked blockchain technology to personal and partisan agendas, making it more difficult for lawmakers on the opposing side to support neutral legislation like the CLARITY Act. 

In his view, this political "contamination" forces leaders like Boozman to work twice as hard to convince their colleagues that crypto regulation is a matter of national security and economic competitiveness, and not a political favor to a specific faction.

The market will be closely watching the signals emanating from Capitol Hill in the coming days. If Boozman manages to align interests and introduce the bill with strong support by the end of the month, he will send a message of stability that could catalyze a new phase of growth for the industry. Conversely, if polarization prevents the bill's progress, the United States risks ceding its leadership in the digital economy to jurisdictions with already established regulatory frameworks.