Crypto is nothing without builders' – Defend Developers PAC enters CLARITY Act fight

On June 3, a new lobby group called Defend Developers PAC (DDPAC) launched with a mission to shield American crypto developers from regulatory headaches.

The PAC was formed by policy leaders and CEOs of top crypto firms. Founding members include the DeFi Education Fund, Orca Creative, Solana Policy Center, and Uniswap Labs — a lineup that reads like a who's-who of the industry's policy-adjacent orgs.

Gavin Zavatone, DDPAC's founder and crypto policy chief at DeFi Education Fund, put it plainly: "Crypto is nothing without the people building it." The group is deliberately unaffiliated with any single entity and was built, he said, to unify the industry around one core value: "we should protect the people building the technology that will shape our future."

The new outfit aims to build a "lasting political infrastructure" for developers and investors that extends beyond a single election cycle — in other words, something that doesn't evaporate the morning after the votes are counted.

The move comes amid a broader push for strict Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions compliance in the digital asset sector. The CLARITY Act proposes provisions that classify non-custodial DeFi platforms as non-money transmitters, which would protect developers by preventing them from being held legally liable for wrongdoing committed by third parties. Zavatone, however, noted that lawmakers have 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," he said.

To meet its goals, DDPAC plans to support incumbent members of Congress, calling the 2026 election cycle a critical window shaping the future of American developers. Beyond developer protections, other key issues could stall the CLARITY Act's vote on the Senate floor — most notably the ethics provision and stablecoin yield.

Banks continue agitating for a total ban on stablecoin yields, a position recently echoed by JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon. On the ethics provisions, senior White House officials told Semafor they were "cautiously optimistic" on a deal, though they stress talks remain early: "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 the CLARITY Act is more likely to reach the Senate floor after the July 4 recess than before — a timeline that gives summer barbecues at least one extra thing to compete with.