President Donald Trump has called on the US Senate to pass a landmark cryptocurrency bill, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, framing the effort as a tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump described Graham as a supporter of the legislation and urged lawmakers to advance it, warning that China and other countries were seeking to dominate both digital assets and artificial intelligence.
Graham died on Saturday at the age of 71 following a brief illness. Preliminary findings from the District of Columbia medical examiner attributed his death to an aortic dissection related to cardiovascular disease, according to reporting from multiple outlets. A veteran lawmaker known primarily for his work on foreign policy and national security, Graham did not sit on the Senate Banking or Agriculture committees that handled the crypto bill and did not cast a vote advancing it, a point noted by several news organizations covering Trump's appeal.
The CLARITY Act is one of the most significant attempts to establish a federal framework for cryptocurrency, and it is backed by the White House and much of the crypto industry. The measure would shift a substantial share of digital-asset oversight from the Securities and Exchange Commission to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Senate Banking Committee advanced the legislation in May by a vote of 15 to 9, with two Democrats joining Republicans in support.
The bill has since stalled amid a dispute over ethics provisions. A number of Senate Democrats have said they will not support the legislation without measures addressing potential conflicts of interest between elected officials and the crypto industry. Several have pointed to Trump's own financial ties to the sector, including his family's World Liberty Financial venture and a memecoin bearing his name; his 2025 financial disclosures reported roughly $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion in crypto-related income, according to news reports.
Graham's death has also reshaped the arithmetic in the chamber at a delicate moment. With Senator Mitch McConnell hospitalized, the Republican working majority has narrowed, leaving supporters likely needing additional Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote threshold required to pass the measure. The Senate has a limited window before its August recess. Trump separately said he had recommended Graham's sister, Darline, to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to fill the seat on an interim basis.