Sec Now All-republican As Crypto Rulemaking Momentum Builds In 2026
The SEC is set to continue last year’s pro-crypto rulemaking, as the commission and other federal agencies are controlled solely by Republicans.
Caroline Crenshaw has left the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), leaving all sitting commissioners Republican, with two seats currently vacant. As a result, internal opposition to crypto-friendly policy at the commission has effectively disappeared.
Republicans in Washington have generally been friendlier toward the crypto industry than their Democratic counterparts. The SEC made a 180-degree turn last year, after President Donald Trump entered office and Congress moved on landmark crypto legislation.
Now, just one week into 2026, the Senate is set for a markup vote on the crypto market structure bill — and there is an entirely Republican SEC.
The commission is still constrained by how it makes crypto regulations. Notice-and-comment rulemaking has certain processes that must be observed, lest the SEC risk legal action in the future.
But still, observers expect another banner year for crypto from the SEC.
Crenshaw was the last remaining crypto-skeptic commissioner left at the SEC, issuing a dissent on the commission decision to allow Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in January 2024. She said the decision “put us on a wayward path that could further sacrifice investor protection.”
The Senate Banking Committee canceled a vote to renominate Crenshaw in December 2024. This reportedly came after intense lobbying from the crypto industry, which wanted to see the crypto-skeptic commissioner removed.
When operating at a full complement, the SEC has five commissioners. As of publishing time, it has three, all of whom are Republican: Chair Paul Atkins, Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda.
By law, the SEC is a bipartisan agency, meaning that at least two of the commissioners must be from another party. The majority partisanship of the agency often reflects whoever is holding office in the White House.
Source: CoinTelegraph
