Defend Developers PAC Debuts Ahead of Midterms With Crypto Industry Backing

A new cryptocurrency-focused political action committee has emerged, this time with an exclusive focus on protecting software developers as midterm elections quickly approach. On Wednesday, the Defend Developers PAC debuted, backed by executives and policy leads from the DeFi Education Fund, the Solana Policy Institute and Uniswap Labs. Over the past year, those groups have been pushing for software developer protections, particularly in a larger cryptocurrency market structure bill, called the Clarity Act, in the Senate. Central to that effort is the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), which would clarify that non-custodial developers are not money transmitters. While BRCA was included in the version of the Clarity Act approved by the Senate Banking Committee last month, a late-stage compromise to secure Democratic support removed language that would have extended protections to Section 301 of the bill, which addresses Bank Secrecy Act-related sanctions requirements. BRCA has also raised concerns among law enforcement groups, who say that the language in that provision could make it hard to crack down on financial crime. On Tuesday, the Blockchain Association sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, which was signed by former national security and law enforcement officials, urging them to pass the Clarity Act. "For too long, developers building decentralized technologies have faced regulatory uncertainty and enforcement actions instead of clear rules and guidelines," said the PAC's founder, Gavin Zavatone, in a statement on Wednesday. "While legislation and rulemakings are being written as we speak, for some policymakers, there is limited incentive to understand the fundamental nature of software development." The PAC said it plans to back lawmakers who "actively champion developer protections, decentralized technology, and permissionless blockchain infrastructure." Members of its board of directors include Uniswap Labs Head of Policy Brian Nistler, DeFi Education Fund CEO Amanda Tuminelli and Solana Policy Institute CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine, among others. PACs are increasingly being created to back crypto interests, because apparently nothing says "decentralization" quite like a political action committee. The Blockchain Leadership Fund, with backing from Anchorage Digital and Chainlink Labs, debuted in March to support candidates who are working to progress digital asset and blockchain policies. The cryptocurrency industry became a major force in the 2024 election cycle, spending millions of dollars through super PACs and other political groups. So far, the spending appears to be paying off following the unseating of longtime Rep. Al Green in Texas by pro-crypto Rep. Christian Menefee last month. Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures. © 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.