Key milestone in US crypto legislation: Senators submit over 130 amendments, with stablecoin yields and DeFi becoming focal points

January 14, 2026 News: U.S. cryptocurrency regulation legislation is entering a highly competitive stage. According to an internal document obtained by CoinDesk, prior to this week’s critical cryptocurrency market structure legislative hearing, U.S. Senators have submitted over 130 amendments related to the bill, covering key issues such as stablecoins, decentralized finance (DeFi), crypto yield distribution, and conflicts of interest among public officials.

Overall, these amendments span a wide range of positions, including a complete ban on stablecoins offering yields to users, restrictions on “public officials profiting from cryptocurrency-related interests,” and proposals to redefine the legal definitions of digital asset mixers and tumblers. Notably, this round of amendments is not driven by a single party; both Democratic and Republican senators are broadly involved, reflecting that crypto regulation has become a bipartisan important issue in the United States.

Procedurally, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee plans to hold a hearing this Thursday to focus on discussing the amendments and to vote on whether to adopt some provisions and advance the overall bill. The supporting hearing originally scheduled by the Senate Agriculture Committee has been rescheduled for late January 2026. The version of the bill text from the Banking Committee was released late Monday night, after which lawmakers and industry lobbyists quickly entered an intensive interpretation phase.

In terms of proposal structure, Democrats including Ruben Gallego, Angela Alsobrooks, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Jack Reed, Andy Kim, Raphael Warnock, Catherine Cortez Masto, Elizabeth Warren, and Chris Van Hollen have submitted multiple amendments; the Republican camp has proposed relevant modifications through Thom Tillis, Mike Rounds, Bill Hagerty, Pete Ricketts, Katie Britt, John Kennedy, Cynthia Lummis, Kevin Cramer, and Tim Scott.

Notably, some clauses have already shown signs of bipartisan cooperation. For example, three amendments jointly proposed by Thom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks include two that directly target stablecoin yield mechanisms. One suggests removing the restrictive phrase “solely by holding” from the original bill text, thereby substantially tightening the compliance space for stablecoins offering yields; another adjusts yield disclosure rules and introduces clearer risk warning requirements.

From the current progress, stablecoin regulation, DeFi compliance boundaries, and the yield attributes of crypto assets will remain the core focus of the U.S. crypto legislation battle in 2026, and the related outcomes may also have a lasting impact on the global crypto market.