Trump, Musk stay isolated
The Big Story
Some Republicans are holding out hope that President Trump and Elon Musk will mend fences after last week's blistering bromance breakup.
© AP Photo/Evan Vucci
The longing for harmony comes amid a Republican sprint on Capitol Hill to finalize the Trump megabill — which Musk trashed — and as the party looks ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, a process the billionaire is threatening to shake up by suggesting he may go after lawmakers who support the package.
'I was with the president in the Oval Office yesterday afternoon as some of this was unfolding, and I can tell you, as he said in his own words, he was just, he was disappointed, and I was surprised by Elon's sudden opposition,' Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Friday when asked if Trump has any interest in mending fences.
'I hope they reconcile,' he added. 'I believe in redemption. That's part of my worldview, and I think it's good for the party and the country if all that's worked out.'
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — a loyal Trump ally who also chairs the House's Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, named similar to Musk's brainchild Department of Government Efficiency — said the two should bury the hatchet in private rather than on public channels.
'I don't think lashing out on the internet is the way to handle any kind of disagreement, especially when you have each other's cell phones. So I hope this gets worked out,' Greene said.
'But I will tell you right now that people are going to be focused on making sure that we get the agenda that we voted for, and that's President Trump's agenda.'
The optimism is not limited to the House: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called on his 70-year marriage to find advice for the two.
'I just heard Barbara Grassley say this disagreement and arguments btwn musk and Trump must end. I know she loves both musk and Pres Trump. I'd advise u to follow her advice,' he wrote on social platform X.
The Hill's Mychael Schnell reports for TheHill.com.
Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, we're Miranda Nazzaro and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
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Crypto Corner
CLARITY Act gets last-minute add ahead of markup
© Greg Nash
Welcome to Crypto Corner, a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.
The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) has been added to the newly introduced version of the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, a coalition of cryptocurrency industry groups announced Monday.
The groups called the addition a 'meaningful step toward protecting developers of non-custodial, peer-to-peer technologies while maintaining strong oversight of custodial financial institutions.'
BRCA, reintroduced by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), aims to provide regulatory clarity for non-custodial digital asset developers and service providers.
The eight leading groups called on Congress to do this last week, stating the amendment is needed to protect developers and service providers who do not maintain custody of customer funds.
The updated bill builds upon 2019 guidance from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network within the Treasury Department.
The 2019 guidance called for clarifying 'that when developers and infrastructure providers don't control customer funds, they shouldn't be regulated like money transmitters,' the association groups explained.
It comes a day ahead of the House Financial Services and Agriculture Committees will hold markups for the CLARITY Act, which seeks to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets.
The CLARITY Act would establish clear lines between the regulatory authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and set up new requirements for developers.
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