In a 60 to 38 vote, United States senators passed H.J. Res. 109, a resolution nullifying the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SECs) Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121. The commission’s rule requires banks to keep customers’ digital assets on their balance sheets, with capital maintained against them — a measure many lawmakers and industry leaders have criticized as stifling innovation.
“The tally, a stunning 60 ‘Yeas’ in the Senate vote, sends a strong signal that both houses of Congress, across the political divide, clearly disapprove of this rule,” stated crypto advocacy group the Blockchain Association.
However, before the resolution passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, President Joe Biden said he intended to veto the bill to “protect investors in crypto-asset markets and to safeguard the broader financial system.”
However, Perianne Boring, founder and CEO of the Blockchain Trade Association Digital Chamber, believes that support from 21 Democratic Party senators could force the White House to “rethink its strategy and position.” In her opinion, “the tides are turning for crypto in Washington.”
The Biden administration may feel pressure beyond the political sphere as the crypto community is not the only sector wishing Biden would sign the H.J. Res. 109. The American Bankers Association has openly urged “President Biden to move quickly to sign this resolution into law to help protect American consumers.”