Trump Strikes Deal with House Republicans to Advance Crypto Bills After Procedural Setback
After a dramatic setback for the Trump administration on Tuesday, when House Republicans blocked a procedural vote on a legislative package including three key crypto bills, former President Donald Trump announced late that evening he had reached a deal to advance the legislation.
Trump shared the news on his Truth Social platform, saying he met in the Oval Office with 11 of the 12 Republican holdouts needed to flip their votes.
“After a short discussion, they have all agreed to vote tomorrow morning in favor of the Rule,” Trump said. “Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was at the meeting via telephone, and looks forward to taking the Vote as early as possible.”
Trump did not provide specific details about what was agreed.
Later that night, Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Trump for stepping in to help secure the necessary votes, specifically to advance the GENIUS Act.
“I’m thankful for President Trump getting involved tonight to ensure that we can pass the GENIUS Act tomorrow and agreeing again to help us advance additional crypto legislation in the coming days,” Johnson said.
Earlier Tuesday, 12 House Republicans had joined all Democrats to defeat the measure 196-223, freezing House business. Johnson admitted he knew there was a chance the rule could fail but felt it was important to try to move the bills forward given the GOP’s slim majority of 220 Republicans to 212 Democrats.
“This is the legislative process. We have some members who really, really want to emphasize the House’s product,” Johnson said. “They want to, want to push that and merge them together. We’re trying to work with the White House and with our Senate partners on this. I think everybody is insistent that we’re going to do all three, but some of these guys insist that it needs to be all in one package.”
Many of the dissenting Republicans want the three bills—the CLARITY Act, the GENIUS Act, and the Anti-CBDC Surveillance Act—combined into a single package rather than being voted on individually.
The group of GOP “no” votes included Reps. Andy Biggs, Tim Burchett, Michael Cloud, Andrew Clyde, Eli Crane, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Andy Harris, Anna Paulina Luna, Scott Perry, Chip Roy, Keith Self, and Victoria Spartz. Majority Leader Steve Scalise also switched his vote to “no” to preserve the procedural ability to bring it back up for another vote.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, told ABC News that she is “pro-crypto,” but voted against the procedural measure due to concerns about enabling a backdoor for a government-controlled Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)—a worry also voiced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“I just voted NO on the Rule for the GENIUS Act because it does not include a ban on Central Bank Digital Currency and because Speaker Johnson did not allow us to submit amendments to the GENIUS Act,” Greene posted on X. “Americans do not want a government-controlled Central Bank Digital Currency. Republicans have a duty to ban CBDC. President Trump included a ban on CBDC in his January 23rd executive order and Congress must also include the ban on CBDC in the GENIUS Act.”
The split came despite Trump urging Republicans earlier in the day to support advancing the crypto package, arguing that it would help the U.S. lead in digital asset innovation.
“The GENIUS Act is going to put our Great Nation lightyears ahead of China, Europe, and all others, who are trying endlessly to catch up, but they just can’t do it,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Digital Assets are the FUTURE, and we are leading by a lot! Get the first Vote done this afternoon (ALL REPUBLICANS SHOULD VOTE YES!).”
This standoff occurred during what the White House has dubbed “Crypto Week” and marks a rare public defiance of Trump’s influence within the House GOP.
Trump’s own crypto profile has expanded considerably in recent years. While once a skeptic, he now calls crypto a “very powerful industry” that the U.S. has “dominated,” and has launched his own $TRUMP meme coin, along with ventures in bitcoin mining, stablecoins, and crypto reserves.
“I’m president. And what I did do there is build an industry that’s very important,” Trump said last month. “If we didn’t have it, China would.”
