CEI Joins Coalition Letter : Re: Wyden-Lummis-Toomey Amendment to H.R. 3684

Photo Credit: Getty

Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell,

The undersigned organizations—which include nonprofits, trade associations, and individual companies that participate in the United States’ vibrant and growing crypto economy—write to express our strong support for the amendment introduced by Sens. Wyden, Lummis, and Toomey.

As currently drafted, the recently announced Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill would jeopardize the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry’s future in the United States. The provision titled “Enhancement of Information Reporting for Brokers and Digital Assets” would likely lead to a host of unintended consequences, not only for the technology’s ability to operate in the United States but also for the privacy rights of all Americans.

The Wyden-Lummis-Toomey Amendment addresses a significant concern raised by the bill as currently drafted by removing the obligation to report from those network participants who don’t have—and shouldn’t have—access to customer information. It does so without affecting the reporting obligations placed on brokers and traders of digital assets.

Cryptocurrency networks are open source and run on the internet; they are here to stay whether the United States participates in their development or not. They promise to advance many ideals the United States supports: openness, freedom of speech, transparency, and individual agency.

We thank Sens. Wyden, Lummis, and Toomey for their valiant effort. While there are some remaining questions about portions of the language, this amendment goes a long way to addressing some of the biggest concerns with the draft. We encourage you to adopt the Wyden-Lummis-Toomey Amendment.

Signed:

Advantage Evans, LLC Algorand

AlphaPoint

Americans for Tax Reform

Anchorage Digital

Association for Digital Asset Markets (ADAM) Binance.US

Blockchain Association Blockchain Capital Blockdaemon

Boston Blockchain Association Blockchain Defense Initiative Brand New Strategies BTCKing

California Blockchain Advocacy Coalition Celo Foundation

Centre Consortium Chia Network Inc.

Circle Internet Financial, LLC CMT Digital

Code Inc. Coinbase Coin Center CoinList CoinShares Copia Institute

Competitive Enterprise Institute Compound Labs, Inc.

Cross River Bank Crowdie Advisors

Crypto Council for Innovation Dapper Labs

Dash Core Group, Inc. DeFi Alliance

Digital Currency Group Digital Innovation Group Digital Liberty

Dragonfly Capital DRW Cumberland dYdX Trading Inc. DoinGud

Edge & Node Ventures, Inc. ETHDenver and Colorado Blockchain Electric Coin Company

Electronic Transactions Association Emerging Impact Group

Framework Ventures FinClusive Fireblocks

Florida Blockchain Business Association Gem

Global Digital Finance

Government Blockchain Association Grayscale Investments, LLC

gumi Cryptos Capital Hajj Media, LLC Hangar

Kraken

Learning Economy Foundation Ledger

Lincoln Network Liquality

Makara Digital Corporation Maker Foundation

Metrika Inc.

Minnesota Blockchain Initiative

National Policy Network of Women of Color in Blockchain

New Jersey Blockchain Council North Carolina Blockchain Initiative Offchain Labs Inc

Okcoin Optimism PBC

ORCHID Labs, Inc. Paradigm

Pennsylvania Blockchain Coalition Placeholder Management

Proof of Stake Alliance

Puerto Rico Blockchain Trade Association Securrency, Inc.

Sia Foundation SKALE Labs, Inc. Skynet Labs Solve.Care

South Carolina Emerging Tech Association Stellar Development Foundation

Strix Leviathan, LLC Square, Inc.

SkyBridge Capital

The Graph Foundation Ribbit Capital

Ripple Tacen Inc.

Technology Association of Oregon Texas Blockchain Council Tokensoft Inc.

The Aave Companies

The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance Tlon Corporation

TrustToken

Union Square Ventures

Value Technology Foundation Voyager

Women in Blockchain Women in Blockchain Boston

WTIA Cascadia Blockchain Council Wyoming Blockchain Coalition ZenLedger

0x Labs