Patrick Witt, the White House official in charge of negotiations over cryptocurrency policy, has delayed a military training session scheduled for late this month and decided to stay to respond to the CLARITY Act as it moves to the Senate.

Cointelegraph, a blockchain media outlet, reported on July 21 that Witt said he would remain at the White House and wrap up negotiations on the legislation.

Witt said on X on July 20 that there had been reports he would leave just before the CLARITY Act entered the Senate floor to attend mandatory training tied to his service in the Georgia Army National Guard, but the training had been postponed. "My commitment to fulfilling my service obligations has not changed, but the training has been postponed, allowing me to see this effort through to the end," he said.

The decision is tied to the schedule for advancing the CLARITY Act. The bill contains provisions to create the first comprehensive regulatory framework for the U.S. cryptocurrency market, and it faces a key deadline to pass before the Senate recess on Aug. 8. Witt serves as the White House's chief negotiating channel for the bill.

Witt has served as executive director of the President's Digital Asset Advisory Council since August last year. He had been scheduled to attend training for Georgia Army National Guard judge advocate officers on July 27. After completing the training, he would become eligible to serve as a legal officer in the National Guard.

This is not the first delay. He was reported to have postponed mandatory military training once in April to remain at the White House and continue negotiations on the CLARITY Act. The postponement was said to have been needed as the talks took longer than expected. This is the second delay.

Attention in markets and in and around Washington has also focused on whether momentum behind the bill can be sustained. News that Witt would stay coincided with the timing of Deputy Director Harry Jung (해리 정) of the President's Digital Asset Advisory Council saying he would soon leave the government. Jung wrote on X on July 20, "I am leaving the government in two weeks," adding, "The past two years have changed America's stance on crypto. I am proud of what we have achieved."

Jung had been mentioned as someone who would take over related work within the council if Witt left for military training. With Witt deciding to remain at the White House, the Senate response on the CLARITY Act will, for now, continue under the existing chain of responsibility.

Against this backdrop, the Senate schedule has become a key variable that will decide the bill's direction. The CLARITY Act is assessed as legislation that would, for the first time, establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for the U.S. cryptocurrency market. Depending on whether it is handled before the August recess, the pace of policy coordination between the White House and Congress could also be affected. The White House has chosen, for now, to keep its key negotiating official on the ground.