After nearly 10 hours of internal conflict, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday finally cleared a procedural hurdle to begin debate on a set of high-profile cryptocurrency regulation bills. The vote, the longest open vote in modern House history, ended late in the evening after a key group of Republicans flipped their opposition.
Speaker Mike Johnson spent the day working to rally support amid divisions within his party. Hardline conservatives initially stalled the bills on Tuesday, and efforts to appease them led to fresh objections from moderate and committee-aligned Republicans on Wednesday.
The procedural vote allowed debate to begin on three major crypto-related bills: the GENIUS Act, which already passed the Senate; the CLARITY Act; and a bill to block the Federal Reserve from launching a central bank digital currency.
Despite progress, the episode exposed deep divisions within the GOP. Industry observers and lawmakers alike now question whether the party can align enough support to pass final legislation.
The crypto industry, which spent heavily during the last campaign cycle, had hoped for major momentum during what was billed as "Crypto Week." Instead, internal GOP disputes and last-minute bill changes have clouded the path forward.
President Donald Trump intervened Tuesday night by meeting with conservative holdouts and later claiming they had agreed to vote in favor of the rule. However, Wednesday brought new opposition from Financial Services Committee members who objected to merging parts of the legislation without wider consultation.
While debate is now officially underway, the future of federal crypto regulation remains uncertain.
