House Republicans Break Deadlock on Crypto Bills After Record-Long Vote

House Republican leaders have cleared the path for three key crypto bills to advance after striking a deal with party hardliners who had been holding out over central bank digital currency (CBDC) concerns. The vote, which remained open for more than nine hours—the longest in the House’s history—passed late Wednesday with a narrow 217-212 margin.

The delay came as a faction of Republican representatives refused to proceed unless a CBDC ban was included. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise later confirmed that Republican leaders had agreed to attach a CBDC ban to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass defense spending bill, to secure enough votes for the crypto legislation to move forward.

“Crypto Week” Pushes Forward with Multiple Bills

Republican leaders have dubbed this legislative push “Crypto Week,” aiming to pass the CLARITY Act, which sets out a crypto market structure framework, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance Act, and the GENIUS Act, a stablecoin regulatory bill. President Donald Trump, who has openly supported the crypto industry, has indicated he wishes to sign the GENIUS Act before the weekend.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Scalise noted that the House will likely vote on the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act as early as Thursday, though additional votes may slip to Friday or next week depending on negotiations.

The GENIUS Act has been a point of contention, with Representative Keith Self previously arguing it “will allow a back door to a CBDC,” while Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was the sole Republican to side with Democrats in opposing the measure. However, the GENIUS Act explicitly states it should not be interpreted as expanding the Federal Reserve’s authority to issue a CBDC.

CBDC Ban Shifts to Defense Bill

To resolve the impasse, Republican leaders assured party hardliners that the NDAA would include a CBDC ban. Representative Tim Burchett, who had initially voted against moving the bills forward, confirmed the agreement in a video on X, noting that amending the GENIUS Act risked sending the bill back to the Senate and delaying progress.

Speaker Johnson emphasized that the Senate would be more likely to approve the crypto bills if they were not tied together, prompting the decision to handle them separately.

The vote’s nine-hour length broke a record set earlier this month during deliberations on Trump’s sweeping tax and spending proposal, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, underscoring the deep divisions and high stakes tied to crypto policy as Congress grapples with its place in the evolving financial system.