[Digital Today reporter Yoonseo Lee] The U.S. Senate is unlikely to hold a procedural vote this week to begin floor consideration of the Clarity bill, a cryptocurrency market structure measure, shifting the focus of talks to next week.

CoinPost, a blockchain media outlet, reported on July 29 (local time) that the Senate Republican leadership is now unlikely to push for a cloture vote on the Clarity bill this week.

Eleanor Terrett (엘리노어 테렛), a reporter specialising in cryptocurrency policy, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (존 튠) has found it difficult to force a vote on the Clarity bill within this week. Under Senate procedure, to hold a vote on July 30, cloture must be filed on the motion to proceed by July 28. She said leadership priorities have tilted toward a Russia-Iran sanctions bill.

As a result, attention inside and outside the Senate is moving to next week. The industry believes leadership should at least begin the cloture process to open floor debate before the August recess. If this week’s procedural vote falls through, it may be difficult to rule out the bill’s floor entry being pushed back to after September.

Behind the schedule delay are Senate-specific procedures. A bill that passes cloture becomes a “pending matter” that takes precedence over other business, and the Senate finds it difficult to advance multiple contentious bills on the floor at the same time. If one bill is prioritised, the debate schedule for others is inevitably pushed back.

The item being mentioned as a higher priority than the Clarity bill is the “Lindsey O. Graham Russia-Iran sanctions law.” The bill includes provisions to sanction individuals and financial institutions that support Russia’s war in Ukraine, and to allow tariffs to be imposed on countries that purchase large amounts of Russian energy or help evade sanctions. It also includes a clause extending authority to sanction Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.

More than 60 senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties joined as co-sponsors of the sanctions bill. As a result, it is assessed that securing the 60 votes needed to end debate is within sight. With Senate leaders needing to adjust legislative priorities during the remaining time before recess, the Clarity bill has been placed in a relatively disadvantageous position in the competition for floor time.

The Clarity bill also faces substantial procedural hurdles before it reaches the floor. First, Thune must submit a motion to proceed with consideration of the bill and then secure 60 votes in a cloture vote. If cloture passes, floor debate and amendment submissions become possible, and another 60 votes may then be needed to end debate on the bill itself. Final passage can be achieved by a simple majority.

Senate Republicans are hurrying to start floor consideration, but securing 60 votes in the first cloture vote is seen as the biggest hurdle. For the Clarity bill, not only its substance but also the Senate schedule, complex procedures and competition with other legislative tasks have emerged as key variables that will determine whether it passes.

Hopes that Senate Majority Leader Thune will hold a cloture vote on the Clarity Act this week are fading. From a procedural standpoint, he would need to file cloture on the motion to proceed today to set up a Thursday vote under Senate rules, but those involved in the process…