The ongoing US government shutdown is The second-longest in the country’s historyand may break the record for longest next week. That doesn’t bode well for the chances of crypto legislation actually becoming law in the near future.
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The narrative
The US government shut down on October 1, 2025 after Congress was unable to continue funding it. The longest shutdown in US history is 35 days – if the current one lasts until Wednesday, it will break that record.
Why is it important?
Crypto law has been Almost at a standstill Because before the government shuts down, but the shutdown is longer, the dimmer the prospects for the law to move is.
Breaking it
The ongoing shutdown means Congress has already missed some of its self-imposed deadlines for passing legislation—most recently the tentative Oct. 20 deadline for a markup hearing on the market structure law. Time is Starting to run out To move other pieces of legislation.
As we approach the end of the year, Congress will have priorities other than crypto to deal with, said Wintermute Head of Policy and Advocacy Ron Hammond, who pointed to the Annual National Defense Authorization Act—a must-pass military spending bill—as an example.
However, he said that there is still optimization in Washington, DC that the crypto legislation that will stop near the end of the summer will see some movement. The next thing to watch may be the Senate Agriculture Committee’s draft market structure bill, as that may indicate where the overall legislative package may go.
If feedback on that draft is positive, lawmakers could quickly head to a markup hearing around Thanksgiving and vote as soon as possible.
A complicating factor is the shutdown. The longer it takes, the less time there is for Congress to deal with various legislative issues.
Another individual familiar with DC politicking told Coindesk on Thursday that there is a rumor that Democrats may give up their demands to secure lower health care premiums within the next week or so because of the Trump administration’s refusal to distribute supplemental nutrition aid programs to recipients during the shutdown. Two federal judges on Friday the administration was ordered to continue the benefits regardless.
If this happens, this individual also said there could be a markup by Thanksgiving — but if Democrats are forced to give in to their demands around the shutdown, they may be less willing to compromise on market structure legislation.
Next week will also see another election, where voters will choose a number of statewide ballot initiatives, representatives, mayors and governors in the states of Virginia and New Jersey.
Tuesday
- 15:00 UTC (10:00 AM) The Second Circuit Court of Appeals will hear Sam Bankman-Fried’s team’s appeal of his conviction and 25-year sentence. His case is the second to be heard by the three-judge panel on Tuesday. This hearing must be streamed court website.
Thursday
- 16:00 UTC (11:00 AM ET) Samourai Wallet Developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill will be penalized After apologizing on one count each of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business in July.
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