Trump Uses Senator's Death to Pressure Congress: Calls for Passing Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act in Graham's Name

marsbitPublished on 2026-07-14Last updated on 2026-07-14

Abstract

Former President Donald Trump is urging the Senate to pass the Crypto Asset Regulatory Transparency and Innovation (CLARITY) Act as a tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away last weekend. In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed Graham was a "strong supporter" of the bill, which aims to shift primary regulatory oversight of digital assets from the SEC to the CFTC. However, Graham, who served since 2003, was not on relevant banking or agriculture committees and had no recorded votes or public statements directly advocating for the CLARITY Act, though he did vote for a stablecoin bill in 2025. The bill faces significant Democratic opposition, with several senators demanding the inclusion of conflict-of-interest provisions related to Trump's connections to various crypto projects. Furthermore, with Graham's death and Senator Mitch McConnell hospitalized, the Republican majority in the Senate has narrowed to 51-47. Passing the CLARITY Act requires 60 votes, meaning substantial Democratic support is needed. The Senate has only four weeks left before its August recess, creating a tight legislative window. Some Republican senators, like Cynthia Lummis, have echoed Trump's sentiment, but the path to 60 votes remains highly uncertain.

Author: Turner Wright

Compiled by: TechFlow

TechFlow Insights: U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away last weekend. Shortly after, Trump took to social media to urge the Senate to pass the cryptocurrency market structure bill, the CLARITY Act, "in Graham's name." However, Graham had not directly championed this bill during his lifetime. Meanwhile, the Republican majority in the Senate has narrowed to 51-47, making it significantly harder for the bill to meet the 60-vote threshold required for passage.

U.S. President Trump is pressing the Senate to pass the "Clarity for Digital Assets Act" (CLARITY Act), citing the need to "honor" Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away last weekend.

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump stated that Graham had been a "strong supporter" of the CLARITY Act and called on the Senate to pass it promptly. The Senate has only four weeks left before its August recess, leaving a very short legislative window. Graham died last Saturday at the age of 71.

Caption: Screenshot of Trump's post on Truth Social

However, the reality is that Graham, who served as a senator from South Carolina since 2003, was not a member of either the Banking Committee or the Agriculture Committee in this Congress and had not voted on the CLARITY Act's advancement. He voted in favor of the stablecoin bill, the GENIUS Act, in 2025 but had not publicly expressed direct support for the CLARITY Act.

The Core Controversy of the CLARITY Act

The core of the CLARITY Act is to significantly shift regulatory and enforcement authority over digital assets from the SEC to the CFTC. This is a long-sought outcome by the crypto industry, which has viewed SEC enforcement as overly aggressive.

But resistance from Senate Democrats is strong. Several Democratic senators have explicitly stated they will not vote in favor of the bill unless it includes provisions addressing conflicts of interest between lawmakers and the crypto industry. Democrats are referring to Trump's connections to several crypto projects, including his memecoin and his family's World Liberty Financial.

The Vote Dilemma: How to Clear the 60-Vote Threshold?

With Graham's death and Senator Mitch McConnell hospitalized, the Republican majority in the Senate has shrunk to 51-47. To pass the CLARITY Act, 60 votes are needed, meaning Republicans must secure additional Democratic support.

Cointelegraph reached out to the offices of Senators Tim Scott, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Angela Alsobrooks for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Senator Cynthia Lummis expressed support for Trump's statement on X on Monday, saying Graham "was passionate about ensuring America leads in all areas, including digital assets." Cointelegraph also contacted Lummis's office seeking clarification on Graham's specific stance on digital assets but likewise received no response.

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Related Questions

QAccording to the article, what specific legislative action did Trump urge the Senate to take in the wake of Senator Graham's death?

APresident Trump urged the Senate to pass the digital asset market clarity bill, the CLARITY Act, in order to "honor" or "in the name of" the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

QWhat is the main regulatory change proposed by the CLARITY Act as described in the article?

AThe core of the CLARITY Act is to shift the primary regulatory and enforcement authority over digital assets from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

QWhat challenge does the Senate face in passing the CLARITY Act, specifically regarding the vote count?

AThe Senate faces the challenge of reaching a 60-vote threshold to pass the CLARITY Act. With the Republican majority reduced and Democratic resistance, Republicans must secure additional votes from Democratic senators to achieve this supermajority.

QWhy are some Democratic senators reportedly resisting the CLARITY Act, according to the article?

ASome Democratic senators are resisting the CLARITY Act because they demand the inclusion of provisions addressing potential conflicts of interest between lawmakers and the crypto industry, specifically citing connections between Trump and various crypto projects.

QWhat evidence does the article present to counter Trump's claim that Senator Graham was a strong supporter of the CLARITY Act?

AThe article counters Trump's claim by stating that Graham was not a member of the relevant Senate committees (Banking or Agriculture), never voted specifically on the CLARITY Act, and did not make any public statements directly supporting it, though he did vote for a related stablecoin bill (GENIUS Act) in 2025.

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