‘Crypto is nothing without builders’ – New PAC enters CLARITY Act debate

On  the 3rd of June, a new lobby group called Defend Developers PAC (DDPAC) was launched to protect American crypto developers. 

Recently, policy leaders and CEOs of top crypto firms created a new PAC (Political Action Committee). Among its founding members are the lobby group DeFi Education Fund, Orca Creative, Solana Policy Center, and Uniswap Labs. 

Gavin Zavatone, the founder of DDPAC, who doubles as crypto policy chief at DeFi Education Fund, said, 

Crypto is nothing without the people building it. DDPAC is deliberately unaffiliated with any one entity. It was built to unify the crypto industry around a single core value: we should protect the people building the technology that will shape our future.

Fight for developer protections in the CLARITY Act

The new outfit aims to build a ‘lasting political infrastructure’ for developers and investors that extends beyond a single election cycle. 

The move comes amid a broader push for strict Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions compliance in the digital asset sector. Moreover, the CLARITY Act proposes provisions that classify non‑custodial DeFi platforms as non‑money transmitters. As a result, these proposals protect developers by preventing them from being held legally liable for wrongdoing committed by third parties.

However, Zavatone noted that lawmakers had a ‘limited incentive’ to understand or advance these provisions.

While legislation and rulemakings are being written as we speak, for some policymakers, there is limited incentive to understand the fundamental nature of software development.

To achieve its objectives, DDPAC aims to support incumbent members of Congress. Specifically, it describes the 2026 election cycle as a critical window shaping the future of American developers.

Moreover, beyond developer protections, other key issues could stall the CLARITY Act’s vote on the Senate floor. In particular, the ethics provision and stablecoin yield remain significant hurdles. Notably, the banks are still agitating for a total ban on stablecoin yields, as recently noted by JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon. 

For the ethics provisions, senior White House officials told publisher Semafor they were ‘cautiously optimistic’ on a deal. 

We’re at relatively early stages. Officials are discussing how to protect the interests of the administration and the constitutional separation of powers, and to get this bill done.

Separately, Senator Cynthia Lummis said that the crypto market structure bill, the CLARITY Act, was likely to reach the Senate floor after the recess on the 4th of July rather than before. 

Final Summary

• A new crypto PAC, Defend Developers PAC (DDPAC), has been unveiled to protect American developers. 
• Ethic provisions and stablecoin yield remain key issues ahead of the CLARITY Act’s Senate floor vote