There would be a great irony if cryptocurrency — which was created in 2008 to provide an alternative to the mainstream financial system that had just failed — led to another economic crash. But that is what a handful of experts fear could happen now that Congress has passed the GENIUS Act, a major piece of crypto legislation.

Crypto interest groups spent heavily donating to lawmakers who went on to support crypto legislation on Capitol Hill.

In the battle over President Trump’s spending priorities, Republicans say they’re running the table, leaving Democratic lawmakers and a tiny band of GOP critics in the dust.

Crypto week kicks off on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers set to debate a handful of bills that sources say could have a big impact on the market.

A dozen House Republicans bucked Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to prevent the legislation from advancing on the floor -- joining the entire Democratic caucus -- and, at least temporarily, freezing activity in the House. The final tally was 196-223.

On Tuesday, a dozen conservatives sank a procedural vote to advance three crypto bills, including the GENIUS Act, which would establish a regulatory framework for the $250 billion market for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency tied to the value of an asset like the U.S. dollar.

The fate of long-awaited cryptocurrency legislation in the U.S. Congress was cast into doubt Tuesday, as a procedural vote to consider the measures was shot down by lawmakers from both parties, and shares of some companies in the sector fell.

Bitcoin rose to over $120,000 on Monday, breaking the cryptocurrency’s all-time high as Congress considers several pieces of pro-crypto legislation. The digital currency peaked at around $122,600 mid-afternoon Monday before declining to around $116,