Benzinga - U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, a Republican from Minnesota and a notable advocate for cryptocurrency-related legislation, recently announced his intention to become the Speaker of the House.
This influential position, responsible for orchestrating the House of Representatives legislative agenda, was previously held by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) until his recent removal.
Prior to McCarthy, the role belonged to Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California until the 2022 shift in majority power.
Emmer, presently serving as the majority whip and consequently holding the position of the second most powerful member in the House Republican caucus, had been rallying support for his speaker bid as of Friday, Coindesk reported.
Throughout his tenure, Emmer has actively pursued the development of regulations to provide clarity on the status of digital tokens within the current securities framework.
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Additionally, he opposed the introduction of a centralized digital currency by banks and had been part of various initiatives advocating for more transparency in the cryptocurrency domain.
Following McCarthy's removal, instigated by a motion from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), the position has remained unoccupied for over a fortnight.
Efforts by Congressmen Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to assume the role were unsuccessful, with Jordan's attempt concluding after a trio of unsuccessful votes.
Several other representatives are also vying for the esteemed position, with the House set to cast votes on potential candidates in the upcoming week.
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