Sen. John Kennedy said Wednesday that he plans to vote for landmark cryptocurrency legislation in the Senate Banking Committee this week, clearing the way for the bill to advance whether it wins bipartisan backing or not.
“This is not a perfect bill,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters Wednesday. “But it’s a good bill, and it’s a good start.”
Kennedy has been a major question mark for months on the crypto bill, as he has raised concerns about both the substance and the process surrounding the legislation. But he said Wednesday that he secured several changes to the new text — including the inclusion of language “creating fiduciary responsibility for participants in the crypto industry” and an unrelated housing bill he co-leads called the Build Now Act.
“It’s time to urinate or get off the pot,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy will still be a key figure to watch at the markup: He said Wednesday he plans to “consider all the amendments” that are brought up, leaving the door open to supporting what could be controversial changes to the legislation.
