Ro Khanna hints at ‘positive’ Democrat crypto regulation update after high-profile meetings

Pro-Bitcoin Democrat House Representative and lawyer Ro Khanna expects the Biden administration to release a crypto regulation roadmap “in the coming weeks” following recent discussions between the White House and the industry leaders.

In an Aug. 12 post on social media platform X, Khanna stated:

“I’m hopeful that as a consequence of these meetings, the Administration will issue a positive statement in the coming weeks with a roadmap signaling the path toward reasonable regulation.”

He said the new regulations will help companies stay compliant while promoting innovation and job creation in the US. Khanna emphasized the sector’s importance for the 21st-century economy and American competitiveness in the global space.

This forecast follows at least meetings between White House officials and crypto stakeholders, including representatives from Ripple, Kraken, Circle, and Paxos, as well as notable figures like American billionaire Mark Cuban, Anthony Scaramucci, and Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz.

Reports from these meetings revealed that the crypto stakeholders decried President Joe Biden’s administration’s hostile approach to the emerging industry. However, the participants and the government officials ended up with positive perspectives on how the sector could be allowed to thrive.

Khanna acknowledged this in his comment, pointing out that “there is much frustration in the industry.” He added:

“These folks are focused on innovating and creating jobs in the US. An already difficult task made tougher without clear guardrails or regulation.”

Community unconvinced

Despite the progress Khanna believes the meetings would birth, skepticism remains within the industry.

Marathon Digital CEO Fred Thiel expressed concern over the lack of representation for Bitcoin miners at these meetings. He questioned whether the exclusion signals a disinterest in Bitcoin mining.

He said:

“I wonder if that means the Harris team is not interested in bitcoin miners participating in the discussion and therefore by inference not interested in bitcoin mining in the US.”

Similarly, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson previously voiced strong criticism, claiming the current administration is hostile towards the crypto sector. He warned that supporting Harris could exacerbate the antagonism and continue this “war on crypto.”

While the majority of the crypto and Bitcoin community on X (formerly Twitter) has been strongly outspoken in opposition to a potential pivot from the Democrats, JP Thieriot, director at crypto platform Uphold, commented about the meeting, 

“With the Harris Campaign signaling a desire to “reset” relations with the crypto industry, it is a critical moment to demonstrate that the door is open and that support will follow if she simply adopts the common sense approach that we are all advocating.”

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