Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) has been named the primary chair of the newly established Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Belongings, in accordance with a Jan. 23 announcement.
In consequence, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) locations Lummis on the helm of legislative efforts to craft a regulatory framework for blockchain know-how and crypto within the US.
Senator Lummis, identified for her robust Bitcoin (BTC) advocacy, expressed her enthusiasm for the brand new function:
“Digital belongings are the long run, and if america needs to stay a world chief in monetary innovation, Congress must urgently cross bipartisan laws establishing a complete authorized framework for digital belongings.”
Lummis additionally emphasised the strategic significance of bolstering the US greenback with a nationwide Bitcoin reserve, a proposal that might place the US as a crypto trailblazer. She launched the Bitcoin Act laws final 12 months on the Bitcoin 2024 convention in Nashville.
The subcommittee will prioritize passing bipartisan laws centered on market construction, stablecoins, and shopper protections. It would additionally oversee federal monetary regulators to make sure compliance with the regulation and stop initiatives like “Operation Chokepoint 2.0,” which some lawmakers view as an overreach by regulators.
Scott praised Lummis as the perfect chief for this new subcommittee and described her as a steadfast champion of blockchain know-how and crypto.
He mentioned:
“Since day one, Senator Lummis has been a frontrunner on digital belongings laws. Working with the Trump administration and our colleagues within the Home, we’ll advance a commonsense regulatory framework to facilitate innovation right here in america, not abroad.”
The bipartisan composition of the subcommittee contains Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Invoice Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.). Gallego would be the rating member, highlighting the subcommittee’s dedication to bipartisan collaboration.
The announcement has sparked optimism among the many trade. Dennis Porter, co-founder and CEO of Satoshi Motion Fund, mentioned Lummis’ appointment was “an enormous step ahead” for advancing significant laws, together with the proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
In the meantime, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao known as the thought of a US Bitcoin reserve “just about confirmed” and counseled the pace at which crypto developments unfold.