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Door Remote - 19 Sep 2026
In short, there's a reason Atkins kept saying for months that the Clarity Act was necessary. As he put it in August, "Legislation remains indispensable to enacting 'future-proofed' rules of the road that are durable enough to protect the work we are undertaking today from being unwound by a future rogue regulator."
"Rogue" may be in the eyes of the beholder, but despite Atkins' enthusiasm in forging ahead with rules now (based on what he holds as existing SEC authorities), he's been insistent about his rhetorical reservations. "Indispensible," he'd said of Congress.
In speeches earlier this year and last year, he made substantially similar future-proof declarations: "Only Congress can future-proof regulation in this space."
But he's also repeatedly said his agency can be an important ally to that legislative work.
"What I envision aligns with legislation currently being considered by Congress and aims to complement, not replace, Congress’s critical work," he said when he launched his Project Crypto in November. However, the project — for now — stands alone.
Read More: Inside the last-minute political breakdown that doomed the Clarity Act vote
"Rogue" may be in the eyes of the beholder, but despite Atkins' enthusiasm in forging ahead with rules now (based on what he holds as existing SEC authorities), he's been insistent about his rhetorical reservations. "Indispensible," he'd said of Congress.
In speeches earlier this year and last year, he made substantially similar future-proof declarations: "Only Congress can future-proof regulation in this space."
But he's also repeatedly said his agency can be an important ally to that legislative work.
"What I envision aligns with legislation currently being considered by Congress and aims to complement, not replace, Congress’s critical work," he said when he launched his Project Crypto in November. However, the project — for now — stands alone.
Read More: Inside the last-minute political breakdown that doomed the Clarity Act vote