House Republican leaders have reached an agreement to advance three cryptocurrency bills that had been stalled during a record-breaking procedural vote, which lasted over nine hours — the longest in House history.
The vote, which set the stage for floor debate on the bills, ultimately passed late Wednesday by a narrow margin of 217-212.
The delay was driven by a group of Republican hardliners who demanded a guaranteed vote to ban central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). In a compromise, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced that instead of attaching the CBDC ban to the crypto bills, Republicans will include it in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a key defense spending bill expected to pass.
House Republican leaders have declared this week “Crypto Week” as they push to pass a series of cryptocurrency-related bills, including the CLARITY Act, which outlines a crypto market structure; the Anti-CBDC Surveillance Act, which seeks to ban central bank digital currencies; and the GENIUS Act, aimed at regulating stablecoins — a bill former President Donald Trump has expressed interest in signing before the weekend.
According to PunchBowl News, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said votes on the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act could take place as early as Thursday. However, Speaker Mike Johnson noted that votes on bills other than the GENIUS Act may be delayed until Friday or next week.
CBDC ban a sticking point
Republican hardliners opposed to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) also disrupted an earlier resolution on Tuesday related to the three crypto bills.
Representative Keith Self, one of the initial holdouts who later switched his vote, had previously argued that the GENIUS Act “will allow a back door to a CBDC.”
Meanwhile, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was the only Republican to join Democrats in voting against the measure.
The GENIUS Act, however, says the bill should not be interpreted as expanding the Federal Reserve’s authority to offer services directly to the public, which would include a CBDC.
CBDC ban may be folded into must-pass defense authorization bill
House Republican leaders assured party hardliners that a ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) would be included in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill that consistently secures passage.
Representative Tim Burchett, who initially opposed advancing the crypto bills, confirmed in a video posted to X on Wednesday that negotiations involved moving the CBDC ban to the NDAA.
“If they adjust this [the GENIUS Act], they kill the bill if it goes back to the Senate, and so they’re thinking about trying to make some changes later,” he said.
Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, have argued that bundling all the crypto bills together would risk failure in the Senate, prompting the push to vote on them separately.
Vote held open for record-breaking duration
The vote stretched for more than nine hours, marking the longest in House history and surpassing the previous record set just earlier this month during a vote on Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
