Chairman Carper Applauds FEC Quick Action on Bitcoin Campaign Contributions Policy

WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) draft decision to allow Bitcoin contributions to campaigns, as reported by Politico last night.

“This apparent decision by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) underscores what our Committee has recognized for some time: that virtual currencies are not going away. Their emergence has potentially far reaching implications for the federal government and society as a whole. I applaud the FEC for acting quickly to recognize this and develop a thoughtful policy that gives donors and committees rules of the road to utilize this emerging technology. It continues to be my hope that departments and agencies are working together, in a collaborative fashion, to define and consistently treat Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. I expect this decision and other recent developments will be discussed at our Committee’s upcoming hearing, as we dig into what a whole-government approach to this new and unique technology may look like.”