Rep. Tom Emmer Named Vice Chair of Digital Assets Subcommittee, Pledges US-Led Innovation

Pro-crypto congressman Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) has been appointed vice chairman of the House Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence. Committee Chairman French Hill announced the appointment as part of the House Financial Services Committee’s subcommittee assignments for the 119th Congress.

“With President Trump in the White House and Gary Gensler confined to the waste bin of Washington, we have an excellent opportunity to ensure that the future of digital assets is guided by Americans, with American values,” Emmer wrote on X on Tuesday. Emmer’s appointment hints at intensifying digital assets regulation and innovation as the U.S. enters a new era of crypto leadership under President-elect Donald Trump.

Established in 2023, the Digital Assets Subcommittee oversees the development of cryptos, financial technologies, and AI in financial services. “Together, our Committee will work to craft a regulatory framework that maintains America as a leader in innovation while protecting consumers and investors, right-sizing the regulatory system, including for community banks, and ensuring our agencies are held accountable to their statutorily directed missions.,” Chairman Hill stated in the announcement.

Emmer, one of the crypto industry’s staunchest defenders, has frequently criticized federal agencies for their perceived hostility toward crypto. The Republican has also been a vocal critic of Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler, accusing him of regulatory overreach over the years. Emmer has also spearheaded the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act to block the Federal Reserve from issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency without Congressional approval.

Trump is expected to issue a major crypto-related executive order within hours of taking office on January 20, with insiders hinting at wider reforms in the pipeline, sources told Decrypt. Emmer himself has expressed confidence in the inevitability of crypto legislation, regardless of the political situation, citing growing bipartisan support for innovation in the space. “It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ but ‘when.,’” he told Decrypt at the Messari Mainnet conference in October 2024. “Digital asset legislation will move forward regardless of who’s in charge.”

He outlined his vision for a Republican-led government in 2025, prioritizing market structure frameworks like FIT21, restrictions on CBDCs, and promoting global dollar-backed stablecoins. With Emmer’s appointment as the vice chair, the administration’s will to create a supportive environment for the crypto industry becomes more apparent.

Terron Gold