A warning has emerged that the CLARITY Act, a U.S. digital asset market structure bill, could see legislation stall for about 4 years if it does not clear the Senate before the 2026 midterm elections.

BeInCrypto, a blockchain media outlet, reported on April 10 that U.S. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis (신시아 루미스) said now could be the last chance to pass the CLARITY Act. Otherwise, consideration of the bill could be delayed until at least 2030, she said.

Lummis is a leading supporter of the bill and serves as chair of the Senate digital assets subcommittee. She has argued the CLARITY Act is needed to prevent crypto firms from moving overseas due to regulatory uncertainty.

The warning came shortly after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (스콧 베선트) stressed similar urgency a day earlier. Bessent pointed out that unclear regulation has already pushed crypto development to places with clearer rules, such as Abu Dhabi and Singapore.

The bill still faces multiple steps, including presidential signature. A key dispute over stablecoin earnings was framed by a compromise plan by Thom Tillis (톰 틸리스) and Angela Alsobrooks (앤절라 앨소브룩스) on March 20. The agreement would ban passive earnings on stablecoin balances while allowing activity-based rewards.

Democratic senators, however, are seeking an ethics provision to prevent government officials from profiting from personal crypto businesses. The White House opposes this.

The Senate returns on April 13 after the Easter recess. Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee plan to begin a process of reviewing revisions to the bill in late April. Forecasts say that if this timing is missed, the midterm election cycle could consume the remaining legislative schedule and consideration of the bill could effectively halt until at least 2027.