Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse is calling on the United States Senate to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, as lawmakers prepare for a critical vote that could determine the future of comprehensive cryptocurrency market-structure legislation in the United States.
Garlinghouse has stepped up his public support for the bill ahead of the Senate's scheduled September 15 procedural vote, describing the opportunity to establish clearer cryptocurrency rules in the United States as still within reach.
The Ripple chief has argued that the US needs a clear regulatory framework that defines how digital assets are treated and which federal agencies are responsible for overseeing different parts of the cryptocurrency market.
The latest push comes as Senate Republicans released a revised version of the CLARITY Act in an effort to address concerns from Democrats and other stakeholders. The revised legislation contains more than 100 changes requested during negotiations, although significant disagreements remain.
Garlinghouse tells lawmakers to 'finish the job'
Garlinghouse has urged lawmakers to complete the legislative process rather than allow another delay to derail the bill.
His message comes after months of negotiations over the legislation, which has become one of the cryptocurrency industry's biggest political priorities in Washington.
In recent comments, Garlinghouse argued that "making America the crypto capital of the world remains within reach" and urged Congress to move forward with the CLARITY Act.
The Ripple CEO has repeatedly linked regulatory clarity to America's ability to remain competitive in digital assets.
For cryptocurrency companies, the issue is not simply whether digital assets should be regulated. The industry has been seeking clearer rules about which assets fall under securities laws, which should be treated as commodities and which regulators should oversee different activities.
The CLARITY Act is designed to establish a framework addressing those questions.
Senate vote is a critical test
The Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on September 15, meaning the immediate vote is procedural rather than final passage of the bill.
The legislation needs at least 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and proceed.
If the procedural vote succeeds, senators can move forward with consideration of the legislation. It would still need additional Senate action and eventually agreement with the House before it could reach President Donald Trump for his signature.
That distinction is important.
A successful vote on September 15 would not mean that the CLARITY Act has become law.
Instead, it would represent a major step toward keeping the legislation alive during a tight congressional calendar.
What the CLARITY Act is designed to do
The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is intended to create a federal framework for the regulation of digital assets.
One of its central objectives is to establish clearer boundaries between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The legislation seeks to provide greater certainty over which digital assets and activities fall under securities regulation and which belong primarily under commodities regulation.
The crypto industry has long complained that regulatory uncertainty has made it difficult for companies to determine how existing laws apply to new technologies and business models.
Garlinghouse has been among the industry's most vocal executives in arguing that this uncertainty needs to be resolved through legislation.
Ripple has a particular interest in regulatory clarity
Ripple's interest in the legislation is closely connected to its long-running regulatory battles in the United States.
The company has spent years dealing with questions surrounding the regulatory status of XRP and Ripple's activities.
Although Ripple and the SEC reached a settlement in 2025 after years of litigation, the wider question of how digital assets should be classified remains important to the company and the broader cryptocurrency sector.
Garlinghouse has argued that the United States should replace regulatory uncertainty with clear rules that allow legitimate businesses to operate without having to guess how regulators will interpret existing laws.
The CLARITY Act would provide a statutory framework rather than leaving major questions entirely to agency enforcement and rulemaking.
Why Ripple wants Congress to act
From Ripple's perspective, legislation could provide greater certainty than relying exclusively on regulatory agencies.
Agency guidance and rulemaking can change as administrations change, while legislation approved by Congress provides a more durable legal framework.
That is one reason Garlinghouse and other cryptocurrency executives have pushed lawmakers to pass market-structure legislation.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has made a similar argument, saying crypto regulation in the United States will continue advancing even if the CLARITY Act does not pass, through actions by the SEC and CFTC.
However, legislation would provide a different level of certainty because the framework would be established by Congress rather than depending primarily on regulators' changing interpretations.
Republicans revise the bill
The Senate Republican leadership released a revised version of the CLARITY Act on September 14 as it attempted to secure enough support for the procedural vote.
The new version includes 126 significant changes requested by Democrats, according to Reuters.
Among the changes are provisions concerning ethics and cryptocurrency activities involving public officials.
The revisions are intended to address Democratic concerns that the legislation could create conflicts of interest, particularly because President Trump and members of his family have substantial interests in cryptocurrency-related businesses.
Republicans are hoping the changes will attract enough Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote threshold.
However, Democrats have not endorsed the revised legislation as a whole, leaving uncertainty over whether it can secure the necessary support.
Ethics provisions have become a major obstacle
The CLARITY Act negotiations have expanded beyond technical questions about cryptocurrency regulation.
Ethics provisions have become one of the most contentious parts of the negotiations.
Democrats have raised concerns about the ability of public officials to profit from cryptocurrency ventures while simultaneously influencing the rules governing the industry.
The latest compromise includes restrictions affecting President Trump and other public officials, while also giving state attorneys general additional enforcement authority in certain circumstances.
Trump agreed to some of the ethics restrictions as Republicans attempted to move the bill forward.
The controversy illustrates how cryptocurrency has increasingly become intertwined with broader political and financial questions in Washington.
Banking groups remain opposed to parts of the legislation
The crypto industry is not the only group watching the legislation closely.
Banking organisations have raised concerns about parts of the bill, particularly provisions affecting stablecoins.
One concern is that stablecoin products offering attractive yields could compete directly with traditional bank deposits.
If customers moved large amounts of money from bank accounts into stablecoin-based products, banking groups argue that the shift could potentially affect banks' ability to fund lending.
The revised bill attempts to address some of those concerns by giving the Treasury secretary authority to impose restrictions in certain circumstances if deposit outflows create financial stability concerns.
These disagreements demonstrate why securing bipartisan support has been difficult.
Why the bill matters to XRP
The CLARITY Act has attracted particular attention from XRP investors because Ripple has spent years seeking greater certainty over the token's regulatory status.
However, it is important not to assume that passage of the bill would automatically guarantee a particular price for XRP.
The legislation is fundamentally about establishing regulatory rules and market structure.
Whether XRP rises or falls would still depend on a wide range of factors, including market conditions, adoption, institutional demand, monetary policy and broader cryptocurrency sentiment.
Garlinghouse's support for the bill is therefore primarily about regulatory certainty rather than a direct prediction about XRP's market value.
Garlinghouse's message to Washington
Garlinghouse has repeatedly argued that the United States risks losing technological and financial leadership if cryptocurrency companies cannot operate under clear rules.
His argument is that companies should know in advance what regulations apply to their products rather than discovering the government's position through enforcement actions.
The Ripple CEO believes clear rules could encourage companies to build products in the United States rather than move operations to jurisdictions with more predictable regulatory systems.
The issue has become particularly important as countries around the world develop their own cryptocurrency frameworks.
For the US, the debate is therefore increasingly connected to international competitiveness.
The SEC and CFTC could remain important even without the bill
Even if Congress fails to pass the CLARITY Act, cryptocurrency regulation in the United States would not simply disappear.
The SEC and CFTC have already been pursuing their own regulatory agendas under existing law.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins has said the agency will continue developing crypto rules even if Congress does not complete the legislation.
That means the choice facing lawmakers is not necessarily between regulation and no regulation.
Instead, it is increasingly a question of whether Congress establishes a comprehensive statutory framework or whether agencies continue shaping the regulatory environment through rulemaking, guidance and enforcement.
Garlinghouse strongly prefers the first option.
Why September 15 matters
The September 15 vote comes at a particularly important moment because Congress has a limited legislative window before the midterm elections.
The Senate's decision could determine whether the CLARITY Act continues moving forward this year or faces another significant delay.
Some industry figures have warned that if the bill fails, comprehensive market-structure legislation could be pushed much further into the future.
Senator Cynthia Lummis has also warned that failure could potentially delay major crypto legislation for years.
That is why Garlinghouse and other industry leaders are pressing senators to act now.
The industry wants certainty, not just promises
For cryptocurrency businesses, the debate ultimately comes down to certainty.
Companies need to know which regulator has jurisdiction, what registration requirements apply, how tokens are classified and what rules govern exchanges, brokers, developers and other participants.
Without clear boundaries, companies can face significant legal and compliance costs.
The industry's argument is that these uncertainties can discourage investment and innovation in the United States.
Critics, however, argue that the legislation could create loopholes or weaken consumer and investor protections if regulators are given insufficient authority.
That disagreement remains at the heart of the Senate negotiations.
Garlinghouse's call comes at a decisive moment
Garlinghouse's latest appeal therefore comes at one of the most important moments yet for US cryptocurrency legislation.
The Senate has a revised bill in front of it, but the legislation still faces political opposition and uncertainty over whether it can secure 60 votes.
The crypto industry wants lawmakers to treat the legislation as an opportunity to establish long-term rules for one of the fastest-changing areas of finance.
Garlinghouse believes the United States can become a global leader in digital assets if it provides companies with clear and predictable rules.
For Ripple, that would also provide greater certainty after years of regulatory disputes involving XRP.
What happens next
The immediate test is the Senate's September 15 cloture vote.
If the bill receives the required 60 votes, the Senate can proceed with debate and consideration of the revised legislation.
If it fails to reach that threshold, the CLARITY Act could face another delay, although crypto regulation would continue through other legislative and regulatory channels.
A successful procedural vote would still leave lawmakers with substantial work before the bill could become law.
The House would eventually need to consider the Senate's version, and both chambers would have to agree on identical legislation before it could be sent to the President.
For now, Garlinghouse is urging senators to take the next step.
His message is consistent with Ripple's broader position: the United States needs clear cryptocurrency rules, and Congress has an opportunity to establish them through legislation rather than leaving the industry's future primarily to regulatory agencies.
With the Senate vote approaching and negotiations still unsettled, the CLARITY Act remains one of the most consequential pieces of cryptocurrency legislation before Washington — and Garlinghouse wants lawmakers to finish the job.
