The Senate voted Tuesday, September 15, to block the CLARITY Act, delaying expected crypto regulatory clarity until 2027. Democrats withheld support, arguing the final draft did not adequately address conflicts of interest involving President Trump, his family and their crypto business ventures. Republicans had proposed a revised version containing an ethics division, stablecoin reward safeguards and developer protections. Bitcoin reacted bearishly, with short-term holders increasing daily exchange inflows from 19.4k BTC to 33.1k BTC; most of those coins were transferred at a loss. A move below $76,000 sent 23.2k BTC to exchanges at a loss, the highest such amount in the past month. Thirty-day exchange net taker volume stood at -87.8k BTC, its most negative reading since early June, when Bitcoin corrected sharply to $60,000. The FOMC rate decision was scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, while the FedWatch Tool showed a 92.5% probability of a hike to 375-400 basis points. Bitcoin had fallen from $82,000 to below $76,000 over the previous two weeks, potentially reflecting increased rate-hike expectations. Open interest (the total value of outstanding derivatives contracts) rose from $25 billion to $25.4 billion since September 11, while positive funding rates indicated a mild long bias. Repeated failures to hold the $79,000-$80,000 area, a break below the early-September $76,264 swing low and a bearish flip in the four-hour market structure weakened the near-term outlook. The analysis said sustained demand after the rate decision and resulting volatility would be needed to preserve August's rally; otherwise, the structural shift implied a bearish Bitcoin bias in the coming days.