Treasury Secretary and SEC Chair Publicly Push CLARITY Act to Trump's Desk as Senate Markup Deadline Nears

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and SEC Chair Paul Atkins pushed the CLARITY Act to Trump's desk this week as the Senate Banking markup deadline nears.

Treasury Secretary and SEC Chair Publicly Push CLARITY Act to Trump's Desk as Senate Markup Deadline Nears Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and SEC Chair Paul Atkins pushed the CLARITY Act to Trump's desk this week as the Senate Banking markup deadline nears. Aaron Rafferty April 12, 2026 Key Takeaways: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent published a Wall Street Journal op-ed on April 8 and followed with an April 9 X post calling on the Senate Banking Committee to hold a markup of the CLARITY Act and send crypto market structure legislation to President Trump. SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Michael Selig both endorsed the push the same day, with Atkins saying Project Crypto is designed to implement the bill "once Congress acts." Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott is targeting a markup in the second half of April, and Polymarket traders now price the CLARITY Act at 59% to be signed into law in 2026. The pressure campaign became public on April 8, when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent published a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled "Digital Asset Rules Need Clarity" arguing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is fundamental to bringing blockchain developers back to the United States after much of the industry relocated to Abu Dhabi and Singapore for clearer rules. On April 9, Bessent posted on X that Congress "has spent the better part of half a decade trying to pass a framework to onshore the future of finance. It is time for the Senate Banking Committee to hold a markup and send the CLARITY Act to President Trump's desk." SEC Chair Paul Atkins responded within hours, saying it was time to "future-proof against rogue regulators" and confirming the SEC and CFTC "are ready to implement the CLARITY Act" through Project Crypto. CFTC Chair Michael Selig echoed the po