Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) on Tuesday defended cryptocurrency as a tool for faster payroll and cheaper international transfers, responding to criticism from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Lummis Rebuts Warren’s Allegations
Lummis reacted to a New York Times report in which Warren said she has not identified a single “positive use case” for cryptocurrency in all these years.
“Of course the woman who wanted to recruit an ‘anti-crypto army’ is unwilling to acknowledge the many positive things digital assets have done for affordability and everyday Americans,” Lummis said.
Are Stablecoins Better than Traditional Rails?
The senior Republican said payroll processing currently takes five days on average, while stablecoins could allow employers to pay workers “nearly instantly.” She argued earlier access matters significantly for people living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Lummis also pointed to international transfer costs, saying Warren’s “beloved big banks” charge nearly 15% to send $200 overseas and can take days or weeks to deliver funds, while digital assets spare its customers “many of the unnecessary fees.”
Lummis said that cryptocurrency has made a “clear case” but Warren “keeps voting against them and the rules of the road” because she wants to “kill” the industry.
While it is true that stablecoins reduce settlement times, an employee paid in, say, USDC (CRYPTO: USDC), may still need to wait for an exchange or bank to convert the funds into dollars.
A study by the Bank for International Settlements found traditional cross-border payment systems to be slow and expensive, while arguing that exchange trading fees, withdrawal charges and reliance on centralized on- and off-ramp providers introduce new costs.
Moreover, the 15% figure cited by Warren is a World Bank average for bank-provided remittances, verus a global average of 6.36%.
Warren didn’t immediately return Benzinga’s request for comment.
Crypto Oversight to Get Stricter?
Broader scrutiny of cryptocurrency could increase in 2027, with Warren reportedly positioned to chair the Senate Banking Committee and investigate the cryptocurrency industry and its ties to those in President Donald Trump’s orbit.
Trump defended his family’s involvement with platforms such as World Liberty Financial on Sunday, saying U.S. presidents have long had private financial interests.
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