Thune Races to Pass Crypto, NIL, Hemp Before Recess
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- John Thune laid out a pre-recess to-do list on Fox News: government funding, the Todd Blanche nomination, 74 other nominations, Russia sanctions, NIL rights, and crypto market structure, calling it a set of issues that animate young male MAGA voters
- Senate Republicans are pushing the CLARITY Act, which would create the first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for digital assets, but Democrats are blocking a procedural vote fearing a failed tally could unlock millions in crypto super PAC money
- Ted Budd (R-N.C.) is holding up the stopgap spending bill by insisting on a vote to strip White House-backed language that would delay a ban on certain intoxicating hemp products
- Thune is weighing whether to force another vote on the SAVE Act voter ID measure — an '80-20 issue' he calls it — even though it lacks the 60 votes needed to advance, in part to put Democrats on record
- The White House wants the Senate to 'get caught trying' on these priorities, per Axios, particularly ones that resonate with the young men who form the backbone of the MAGA coalition
- ESPN's first College GameDay of the season on Sept. 5 is adding urgency to the NIL rights bill, which is a top priority alongside the stopgap funding measure
Why it matters: Thune is trying to clear a five-piece legislative deck before Friday, but the math is tight: the SAVE Act needs 60 votes it doesn't have, the CLARITY Act faces Democratic resistance over crypto super PAC implications, and Budd's hemp hold threatens the must-pass stopgap spending bill. The White House's preference that Republicans 'get caught trying' suggests symbolic votes matter more than passage — at the cost of potentially working into the weekend.
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