US Crypto Bill Markup Delayed Again as Senate Shifts to Housing

• The Senate Banking Committee delayed the crypto market structure bill markup again as housing legislation took priority.
• The Trump administration pushed lawmakers to focus on affordability issues ahead of the 2026 elections.
• The delay gives crypto lobby groups more time to negotiate stablecoin yield and DeFi provisions.

A key U.S. crypto market structure bill had another hurdle in the Senate Banking Committee’s delay in its next markup, and instead, they have prioritized housing affordability issues due to mounting pressure in the wake of the 2026 elections. Another delay increases uncertainty on when the U.S. would have a definitive framework in place for crypto regulation.

According to a Bloomberg report, Senate lawmakers now expect the markup to move from the earlier schedule to late February or even March. The bill already faced one delay earlier this month, and the latest pause reflects how quickly priorities can shift in Washington when economic issues dominate the agenda.

Housing affordability takes priority in Senate agenda

Lawmakers moved housing costs to the top of the Senate schedule as the Trump administration pushes for visible action on inflation-linked issues. Housing has become a major political pressure point because rent and home prices still weigh heavily on household budgets.

As part of that push, lawmakers began working on proposals that could limit large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. This week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Treasury Department to define thresholds for large institutional buyers and instructing federal agencies to block government-backed support for those purchases.

Even though institutional investors reportedly own less than 1% of U.S. single-family homes, housing remains a politically sensitive issue, and lawmakers want to show progress before campaign season accelerates. That urgency pushed the crypto bill down the list again, despite digital assets being one of the administration’s stated priorities.

A spokesman for the Senate Banking Committee would not comment on the holdup, and the White House did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Crypto bill stalls amid friction inside industry and Congress

The crypto market structure bill has struggled to gain momentum amid both political disagreements and industry pushback. The legislation seeks to set a national framework by dividing responsibilities between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Under the current plan, the CFTC would oversee digital commodities like Bitcoin, while the SEC would retain power over tokens classified as securities.

Earlier in January, the markup was already down as Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong pulled his support for the legislation after determining that the draft could negatively affect stablecoin rewards, prevent tokenized stocks from succeeding, and increase the burden for decentralized finance platforms.

However, supporters argue the bill would protect U.S. competitiveness by giving companies clear rules and discouraging innovation from relocating offshore. That debate continues to split the industry and policymakers, slowing progress even as other jurisdictions race ahead with clearer crypto regulations.

Delay gives lobby groups time to reshape bill

This new pause may give the crypto firms or lobbies more time to negotiate important provisions. One of the most important areas of contention for the yield of stablecoins. Banking lobbies are said to want more constrained limits surrounding yield-bearing stablecoins, as opposed to exchanges or DeFi projects that claim it would stifle innovation and lead to the migration to foreign systems.

Meanwhile, the Senate Agriculture Committee has moved faster. It released its own GOP-led draft on Jan. 21 and scheduled a markup for Jan. 27. That proposal expands the CFTC’s authority but still lacks full bipartisan backing, including support from Sen. Cory Booker.

Any final market structure law must merge both committee versions before reaching a full Senate vote. With midterms approaching, analysts warn that prolonged delays could shrink the window for compromise and leave U.S. crypto policy unresolved well into 2026.

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