Bitcoin
US President Biden vetoes resolution overturning SEC guidance
US President Joe Biden has signed a veto on a joint House resolution that would have repealed the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Personnel Accounting Bulletin 121, he announced Friday afternoon.
SAB 121 is controversial accounting guidance from the SEC that directs financial institutions that hold crypto for clients to hold the assets on their own balance sheets. Critics of the guidance say it makes it too difficult for financial institutions to work with crypto companies.
In his declaration When announcing the veto, Biden said he would not support any “measures that put the well-being of consumers and investors at risk.”
“By virtue of invoking the Congressional Review Act, this Republican-led resolution would inappropriately restrict the SEC’s ability to establish appropriate safeguards and address future issues,” his statement said. “This reversal of the SEC staff’s considered judgment risks undermining the SEC’s broader authorities regarding accounting practices.”
Biden’s statement echoed his previous comments about wanting to work with Congress on legislation addressing the digital asset market, saying “appropriate safeguards that protect consumers and investors are needed.”
The veto came hours after banking groups and members of Congress sent two letters to Biden’s desk, asking him to sign the resolution to overturn SAB 121.
The letter from the banking organizations contained the guidance, which the Government Accountability Office says prevents regulated banking groups from offering custody services. The lawmakers’ letter urged the administration to at least work with the SEC to rescind the guidance if Biden still intended to veto the resolution, as he threatened before the House voted on the measure.
The resolution passed both chambers of Congress with easy majorities.
Earlier Friday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of Biden’s party who voted in favor of the resolution, said the guidance creates a different standard for cryptocurrencies than other assets in the financial sector during the conference CoinDesk Consensus 2024 in Austin, Texas.