The SEC Has Started an All-In Political Battle Over Crypto

A draft bill that will soon come before the House sets parameters for how to classify digital assets and circumscribes the SEC’s powers of interpretation of crypto within existing securities law, curtailing its capacity to launch these kinds of enforcement actions. It is co-sponsored by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), the chair of the House financial services committee, who has been critical of Gensler’s aggressive actions against the crypto industry, and Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), the chair of the agriculture committee, which has jurisdiction over the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the other big agency vying for a greater say in crypto regulation.