Analysis Ties About $8 Million in Crypto Lobbying to Clarity Act Effort
Federal disclosures show at least $13 million in crypto-related lobbying during the first half of 2026 before the Senate blocked the bill’s immediate advance.
Crypto companies and trade groups disclosed at least $13 million in federal lobbying during the first half of 2026, with an estimated $8 million linked to efforts around the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act before the Senate blocked its immediate advance.
The disclosures cover Jan. 1 through June 30, while the bill-related figure is an analytical estimate based on those filings. The records do not establish that every dollar classified as related to cryptocurrency, financial services or market structure was spent exclusively on H.R. 3633.
The Senate rejected cloture on a motion to proceed with the bill in a 49-50 vote on Sept. 15 at 2:19 p.m. ET (18:19 UTC). The procedural vote prevented the legislation from advancing at that time but did not formally end future consideration.
Of the estimated $8 million tied to the Clarity Act effort, about $2.4 million went to outside lobbying firms and about $2.1 million to lobbyists employed by trade associations. The filings do not provide a single industry-wide total devoted only to the bill.
Coinbase reported $1.16 million in lobbying expenses for the second quarter. Coinbase’s first-quarter filings listed payments of $90,000 to Avoq, $80,000 to Franklin Square Group, $20,000 to Mayer Brown, $60,000 to Porterfield, Fettig & Sears, $80,000 to Rich Feuer Anderson and $90,000 to Sternhell Group.
A separate tally covering a defined group of crypto companies and organizations put first-half lobbying spending at $8.6 million. That figure uses different organizations and methods from the broader $13 million estimate and is not directly comparable.
The lobbying activity was separate from political-action and campaign spending. Lobbying disclosures list payments and issue areas but do not consistently show how much work was dedicated solely to the Clarity Act.
The bill would divide regulatory responsibilities for digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The House passed H.R. 3633 on July 17, 2025, and the Senate Banking Committee approved its version 15-9 on May 14, 2026.
Sen. Mike Crapo said in May that the bill would provide investors and consumers with regulatory certainty “needed to flourish in a digital economy.” After the Senate vote, Sen. Adam Schiff said, “This bill achieves some of these important goals, but unfortunately not all of them.”
The setback leaves the United States without the proposed market-structure law while the existing regulatory framework remains in place. The Senate vote that halted the Clarity Act did not formally terminate the legislation.
