It’s official. As my colleague David Dayen and I both predicted, enough Democratic senators have voted for a crypto “regulation” bill (called the GENIUS Act), basically written by the industry and Donald Trump’s minions, that it passed easily on Monday. If anything, it was even worse than I expected—just nine Democrats were needed to get to the necessary 60 votes, but 16 voted for it. (Two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Jerry Moran of Kansas, voted against it.)
This vote was technically for cloture, meaning the bill couldn’t be halted by a filibuster, but it’s the only vote that mattered. The official vote, now scheduled for Thursday, is only a formality, and I expect several of these senators to vote against it so they can pretend they aren’t monumentally corrupt.
The Crypto Sixteen are the following: Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who co-sponsored the bill, Adam Schiff (D-CA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE). Every one of them ought to be primaried in their next election.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has more experience in financial regulation than anyone in Congress, outlined the problems in a speech on the Senate floor. First, the bill gives a clear green light to Trump’s world-historical corruption. “Passing this bill means that we can expect more anonymous buyers, big companies, and foreign governments to use the president’s stablecoin as both a shadowy bank account shielded from government oversight and as a way to pay off the president personally. For crooks, it’s a two-for-one,” she said.
Every single Democrat in office that isn’t on a pulpit screaming in defiance of this batshit criminal administration and the absolute bag of dicks Republican party every single day needs to be primaried. The silence is deafening and they are all complicit. Shower of bastards is what they are.
So many expected names on that list
I expect a few traitors in the house, but 16 senators is next level Benedict Arnolding. And they got both of the California senators too.
Theres only 45 dems in the senate right now so thats ~36% of the dem senators being turncoats on this issue. Many other Dem turncoats on other issues. I think they get together and decide who is going to take the hit this time while the others pretend to play defense.
Gallego is very disappointing.
Agreed, but with the race being between him and Kari Lake, it’s not like there was much of a choice.
Hmm now I understand.
Those shit coins aren’t even privacy coins, right?
So I dont see your point. You seem to be quite ignorant of this technology