Who?
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) — Member, Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee
LISTEN: Laslo & Hagerty
Shortly after the Senate Banking Committee passed landmark stablecoin legislation Thursday — the GENIUS Act — Ask a Pol caught up with the measure’s author.
Ask a Pol asks:
Parts of the hearing were so partisan, until you got to the final vote — are you still trying to win over a few more votes when your bill comes before the full Senate?
Key Hagerty:
“I think the momentum is clearly with us,” Sen. Bill Hagerty exclusively told Ask a Pol. “It was clear that the Ranking Member [Sen. Elizabeth Warren] would have liked to derail it. A lot of the things that were said were out of scope and not relevant to the discussion.”
“As members worked at the actual package and the managers bill that we worked very hard on a bipartisan basis to put together, they realized it was in the nation's interest to vote with us,” Hagerty said. “And we had five Democrats join every Republican to do just that.”
ICYMI — pressure mounting on Congress to catch up
Caught our ear:
Any timeline for floor action?
“Oh, soon I think,” Hagerty tells us.
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Bill Hagerty
SCENE: After voting on the Senate floor, Sen. Bill Hagerty and an aide run into Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo who proceeds to ride an elevator with the pair before leaving them as they hop on one of the underground Senate trams.
Matt Laslo: “Your stablecoin bill — how you feeling?”
Bill Hagerty: “Oh, I feel very good about it. We had a great result in the committee — 18 to 6 coming out.”
ML: "Yeah.”
BH: “I think the momentum is clearly with us.”
ML: "What do you think it's going to look like on the floor? Do you guys still — are you still trying to win over a few more votes? I mean, part of that committee today was so partisan, until you got to the final vote."
They enter the elevator.
BH: “Well, you know, I think it was clear that the Ranking Member [Sen. Elizabeth Warren] would have liked to derail it. A lot of the things that were said were out of scope and not relevant to the discussion.”
They exit the elevator and walk down the basement hall.
ML: "Yeah?”
BH: "I think, as members worked at the actual package and the managers bill that we worked very hard on a bipartisan basis to put together, they realized it was in the nation's interest to vote with us, and we had five Democrats join every Republican to do just that.”
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ML: “What’d you think of some of the — it was interesting when [Sen. Cynthia] Lummis called them out, her ‘Machiavelli’ comment — what do you think about people putting drug policy and all this stuff in there, which some say doesn't belong?”
BH: “I'll be one of those that says it doesn't belong. I mean, this is a very straightforward piece of legislation. It's a landmark piece of legislation in that it actually puts in place a framework to deal with digital assets here in America. It’s at the cutting edge of a very important area of innovation, and those that would like to derail it, it's unfortunate but we will [inaudible].”
ML: “Does leadership — any timeline where you might see floor action or…?”
Hagerty enters tram.
BH: “Oh, soon I think.”
ML: “Soon?”
BH: “Yeah.”
Aide: “What’a your name?”
ML: “Matt Laslo.”
Aide: “Thank you.”
ML: “Preciate ya, sir.”
What should we ask lawmakers this week? Let us know!
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