Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty is urging U.S. senators who remain undecided or opposed to the CLARITY Act to speak directly with cryptocurrency holders before the legislation faces a critical procedural vote on Sept. 15. His intervention shifts part of the debate away from banks, crypto companies and Washington lobbying groups and toward the estimated 67 million Americans who own digital assets.
Alderoty said he contacted Senate offices and asked lawmakers to meet “real people with digital assets” before deciding whether to support the next step for the bill. His argument is that federal rules governing tokens, trading platforms and other crypto services would directly affect individual holders, and those people should therefore have a place in the policy discussion.
The timing is significant because the Sept. 15 vote is not a final vote on the CLARITY Act. Senators are expected to vote on cloture for the motion to proceed, which would determine whether the chamber can formally begin debating the legislation. The threshold is 60 votes, creating a difficult political calculation at a moment when lawmakers remain divided over ethics rules, stablecoin rewards and protections for decentralized-finance developers.
Alderoty Brings Retail Crypto Holders Into the Washington Debate
Alderoty’s appeal is built around the scale of U.S. cryptocurrency ownership. He cited research from the National Cryptocurrency Association estimating that roughly 67 million Americans hold digital assets. According to the association’s 2026 survey, that is equivalent to around one in four U.S. adults.
For the Ripple executive, that number changes the political nature of the debate. The CLARITY Act is not only a dispute between regulators, banks and crypto businesses. It could also affect tens of millions of people whose access to tokens, exchanges and other services may depend on the legal framework established in Washington.
Alderoty specifically argued that senators should not restrict their discussions to lobbyists, industry executives and trade associations. He wants lawmakers to hear directly from individuals who own digital assets and could be affected by changes in how the SEC, CFTC and intermediaries operate.
That does not mean those holders share a single view on the bill. The source does not establish how the estimated 67 million owners would vote on the legislation or whether they support the same provisions. Alderoty’s point is narrower: they represent a large population with a direct stake in the outcome.
The Sept. 15 Vote Would Open Debate, Not Pass the Bill
The procedural mechanics are central to understanding what happens next.
Senators are expected to vote at approximately 2:15 p.m. ET on Sept. 15 on cloture for the motion to proceed. If at least 60 senators support cloture, the Senate would be able to begin formal consideration of the CLARITY Act.
That would not make the legislation law.
A successful vote would open the door to debate, amendments and eventually a separate vote on passage. A failure to obtain 60 votes would prevent the Senate from taking up the bill under the scheduled process.
This distinction matters because discussion around the legislation can easily treat Sept. 15 as if it were the final decision. It is instead a gateway vote that determines whether the Senate can move to the next stage.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture on the motion to proceed before the August recess, placing the vote just one day after senators are scheduled to return to Washington. That leaves relatively little time for last-minute negotiations.
Republicans Cannot Reach 60 Votes Alone
Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats.
Even if every Republican supports moving forward, the bill would still require backing from at least seven Democrats or independents to clear the 60-vote threshold.
Full Republican support is not guaranteed either.
Some Republican senators have raised concerns about presidential ethics rules, stablecoin rewards and legal protections for decentralized finance. Any Republican defections would increase the number of opposition-party votes needed.
That arithmetic makes the undecided senators Alderoty is targeting especially important.
The legislation has already shown that it can attract bipartisan support in some settings, but the Senate floor presents a more difficult environment than the House.
The House approved the bill by 294 votes to 134 in July 2025. In May 2026, the Senate Banking Committee advanced it by 15 votes to 9. Only two Democrats supported it at committee level, according to the earlier report cited in the source.
That limited Democratic support is one reason the Sept. 15 cloture vote remains uncertain.
Ethics Provisions Are One of the Main Obstacles
Presidential ethics rules have become one of the most difficult areas in negotiations.
Democrats have pushed for tighter restrictions on digital-asset activities involving the president, senior government officials and their families. Their concerns include crypto businesses associated with President Donald Trump and his relatives, including World Liberty Financial and the Official Trump meme coin.
Democratic senators have argued that the current language does not provide sufficient safeguards against conflicts of interest, illicit finance and potential influence over federal policy.
The dispute has become serious enough that Republican lawmakers themselves are warning that the bill may fail without further compromise.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, one of the legislation’s main supporters, has blamed Democratic demands for threatening the bill while also saying the remaining differences can still be resolved.
Sen. Mike Rounds has taken a more cautious view, saying the bill’s prospects “don’t look good right now.”
Sen. Thom Tillis has also warned that the measure will fail if lawmakers and the White House are unwilling to close the gap on ethics provisions.
These statements show that the risk to the bill is not theoretical. Members of the governing coalition are openly acknowledging that the current negotiations may not be sufficient.
Stablecoin Rewards Have Created a Separate Banking Fight
Stablecoin rewards represent another major dispute.
Community banks argue that rewards paid on stablecoin balances could draw deposits away from insured banks. Their concern is that if funds leave traditional deposit accounts, banks could have less money available to support lending.
Crypto companies oppose restrictions that would prevent third parties from offering such rewards.
The dispute has therefore become a competition between different financial models rather than a narrow technical issue about crypto assets.
The Independent Community Bankers of America has actively encouraged local bankers to contact senators about provisions that it believes could allow digital tokens to compete with bank deposits.
That lobbying effort is taking place alongside pressure from crypto advocacy groups.
The competing campaigns illustrate why senators face pressure from multiple directions before the procedural vote.
Crypto Advocacy Has Intensified Ahead of the Senate Return
Supporters of crypto legislation have also expanded their outreach.
Reuters reported that Stand With Crypto supporters called or emailed members of Congress nearly 50,000 times during August.
The advocacy group also organized meetings and placed opinion pieces in local newspapers while senators were working in their home states during recess.
That activity shows that the CLARITY Act debate is no longer confined to hearings and industry meetings in Washington.
Alderoty’s intervention fits into the same broader effort to demonstrate that crypto policy has a retail constituency.
However, his message differs slightly from conventional lobbying. Rather than simply asking senators to support the bill, he is asking them to meet crypto holders directly and consider how the rules could affect individual users.
That framing may be intended to make the issue more personal for lawmakers who are still undecided.
DeFi Developer Protections Remain Unresolved
Decentralized finance is another difficult area.
Some lawmakers want stronger legal safeguards for software developers who do not control customer assets.
Their argument focuses on the distinction between writing or maintaining software and directly operating a financial intermediary.
Other senators want rules designed to address money laundering and other illicit financial activity.
The source does not indicate that lawmakers have reached a final compromise.
That means DeFi protections remain one of the substantive issues that could influence both the cloture vote and any later amendments if the Senate agrees to proceed.
The debate is important because the CLARITY Act is intended to create a broader federal market structure, but disagreements remain over how far intermediary-style obligations should extend into decentralized systems.
The Bill Would Divide Oversight Between the SEC and CFTC
At the core of the legislation is an attempt to clarify federal jurisdiction over digital assets.
The CLARITY Act would establish a federal market structure and divide regulatory responsibilities between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Its rules would also help determine when a digital asset should fall under securities law and when it should be treated as a commodity.
For U.S. token holders, that classification can affect how platforms list assets and what federal rules apply to transactions.
The bill would also impose requirements on intermediaries operating in the American digital-asset market.
Supporters argue that a statutory framework would reduce some of the uncertainty created when existing securities and commodities laws are applied to crypto products.
Critics, including several Senate Democrats, argue that clearer market rules are not enough unless the legislation also includes stronger protections related to consumers, financial crime and ethics.
Ripple Has Repeatedly Supported Federal Market-Structure Legislation
Alderoty’s latest intervention is consistent with Ripple’s broader public support for congressional action on digital-asset regulation.
Earlier in September, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse called on lawmakers to complete the U.S. regulatory framework and said that making the United States a global center for crypto remained “within reach.”
The latest comments from Alderoty add a different dimension to that message.
Rather than focusing primarily on market competitiveness or regulatory clarity for companies, he is emphasizing the number of Americans who already own crypto.
That retail-focused argument allows Ripple to present the legislation as something that affects ordinary asset holders as well as major industry participants.
The source does not indicate that Ripple’s position is shared by every crypto holder, but the company is clearly trying to broaden the political constituency associated with the bill.
A Successful Cloture Vote Would Only Begin a Longer Process
Even if the Senate reaches 60 votes on Sept. 15, the CLARITY Act would still face several stages before becoming law.
The chamber could begin debate and senators could propose amendments.
A separate vote on final passage would then be required.
If the Senate approves a version that differs from the legislation already passed by the House, the two chambers would have to reconcile their texts.
Only after agreement between the House and Senate could a final bill be sent to the president.
That sequence creates additional opportunities for disagreements over ethics, stablecoins, DeFi and regulatory jurisdiction to reappear.
The procedural vote is therefore important, but it does not resolve the substantive conflicts surrounding the legislation.
The Congressional Calendar Adds Another Complication
Timing could become a practical problem even if the Senate advances the bill.
The House is scheduled to have only four legislative days in session after Sept. 15 before another recess.
That gives lawmakers a narrow window to review and approve any changes adopted by the Senate.
If senators make substantial amendments, the reconciliation process could become more difficult within that timetable.
The source does not state that the calendar makes passage impossible. It does show, however, that delays at any stage could reduce the available time for the House to act before leaving Washington again.
That makes the Sept. 15 procedural vote more significant than it might otherwise appear. A failed or delayed vote would consume time in an already compressed legislative schedule.
The Senate Debate Is Now About More Than Regulatory Clarity
The CLARITY Act began as a market-structure effort designed to clarify which regulator oversees different digital assets and how intermediaries should operate.
By the time it reaches the Sept. 15 test, however, the debate has expanded.
Presidential ethics, stablecoin competition with bank deposits, financial crime, DeFi software protections and the political influence of crypto holders are all now part of the calculation.
That breadth explains why supporters have struggled to assemble a stable 60-vote coalition.
A senator can support clearer crypto regulation while objecting to the ethics language. Another may support the market-structure provisions but oppose stablecoin rewards. A third may be concerned about the treatment of decentralized developers.
The vote therefore cannot be reduced to a simple pro-crypto versus anti-crypto divide.
Conclusion
Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty is urging senators to hear directly from cryptocurrency holders before the CLARITY Act reaches its Sept. 15 procedural test. Citing an estimate of 67 million U.S. crypto owners, he argues that lawmakers should include individual holders in a debate that has largely featured companies, banks, lobbyists and policy organizations.
The immediate challenge is procedural. The Senate needs 60 votes to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed, and Republicans hold only 53 seats. At least seven Democrats or independents would therefore be necessary even if every Republican backed the measure, while internal Republican concerns could raise that number further.
Final Takeaway
The Sept. 15 vote will determine whether the Senate can begin formal debate on the CLARITY Act, not whether the legislation becomes law. Its prospects depend on whether lawmakers can bridge disagreements over presidential ethics, stablecoin rewards and DeFi protections while preserving enough bipartisan support to reach 60 votes. Alderoty is trying to add one more constituency to that negotiation: the estimated 67 million Americans who already own digital assets and could ultimately live under the framework Congress creates.
