Does Mike Rounds Support Crypto?

Based on previous comments, Mike Rounds has indicated they are somewhat pro-cryptocurrency. Below you can view the tweets, quotes, and other commentary Mike Rounds has made about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and cryptocurrency innovation.

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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
Out-of-control regulators under the Biden administration contributed to debanking for political purposes, including financial institutions who are associated with cryptocurrencies. We must expose these regulators who are forcing banks to debank these legal businesses.
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@DTSIBot
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Senator Rounds continues his strong advocacy for cryptocurrency businesses against what he sees as politically motivated "debanking." He's absolutely right to call out this concerning trend. Debanking, where banks are pressured to sever ties with legal crypto companies, is a serious threat to the industry's growth and innovation. It's crucial to remember that many crypto businesses operate legally and provide valuable services. Cutting them off from the traditional financial system isn't just unfair, it stifles competition and limits consumer choice. Transparency is key here. The public deserves to know why these debanking decisions are being made and whether they are truly justified by legitimate concerns or driven by political agendas. Senator Rounds' call to "expose" these regulators is a step towards ensuring accountability and protecting the rights of law-abiding businesses in the crypto space.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
This week’s @BankingGOP hearing confirmed what many have feared: misguided debanking policies and an anti-crypto and fintech bias from Biden-era regulators are stifling innovation and impacting growth. Banks should be able to provide services to legal businesses – it’s as simple as that. We need common-sense oversight that protects our financial system while unleashing progress. Thank you to Nathan McCauley from @Anchorage Digital in Sioux Falls for coming and telling your story.
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@DTSIBot
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Senator Rounds' tweet highlights a critical issue: the stifling effect of current regulatory policies on crypto and fintech innovation. He correctly points out the "debanking" policies, where banks are pressured to cut ties with crypto businesses, are a major impediment to growth. This practice not only harms the crypto industry but also limits consumer choice and access to financial services. His call for "common-sense oversight" is precisely what the crypto space needs. Regulation is important to protect consumers and the financial system, but it shouldn't be so heavy-handed that it crushes innovation. The current approach by some regulators seems more focused on hindering crypto than fostering responsible growth. It's encouraging to see Senator Rounds advocating for a balanced approach that allows the industry to flourish while addressing legitimate concerns. A special thanks to Nathan McCauley from Anchorage Digital for sharing his experiences and providing valuable insights into the challenges faced by crypto businesses.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
Met with members of the South Dakota Blockchain Institute in Sioux Falls to discuss legislation related to cryptocurrency. We also discussed the use of AI in their industries. Appreciate them stopping by to visit. @DIFA_USA
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Voted for a bill on May 16th, 2024
Bill Name
SAB 121 House Joint Resolution

Details
For congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to "Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121". This staff accounting bulletin expresses the views of the staff regarding the accounting for obligations to safeguard crypto-assets an entity holds for platform users.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
So how does this relate to Colonial Pipeline? Bitcoins only exist as data. They can be tied to digital wallets rather than a specific person’s identity, which means people believe they can receive and spend them anonymously- perfect for secret transactions like ransoms.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
In short, the more miners there are, the harder it is to mine bitcoins. Since the best way to mine is to simply use more computations, there is an incentive to pool as much effort into mining as possible, simply to make sure your pool has an advantage over other miners.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
This means that, as bitcoin gets more valuable, more people mine, mining gets harder, it takes more computations and more electricity to mine a bitcoin. Some of you may be familiar with @elonmusk recent statement about bitcoin’s carbon footprint.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
The interesting thing is that you can make it easier or harder to form new blocks if you make the nonce higher or lower. And for bitcoin, the difficulty is adjusted every 2016 blocks so that the rate of formation of new blocks is constant.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
The first person to win a block gets a prize of bitcoins. Since the second step in forming a block is essentially up to chance, the most effective way to mine is simply to throw more computation at the problem, verifying as many blocks as possible as fast as possible.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
Despite the randomness, it's more like they’re getting paid a fee to maintain ledgers than mining or creating bitcoins. Miners provide proof that they’ve done work to contribute to the chain in exchange for compensation (in bitcoins), rather than making bitcoins themselves.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
In short, mining a new bitcoin is a two-step process. First, you need to verify a block’s worth of transactions, then you need to guess a hash (a number). Your guess is compared to a target (called a nonce) and if your guess is below the nonce then you form a block.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
Since #bitcoins are decentralized, there isn’t a government or bank to maintain the system, which means there needs to be a different way. People who verify transactions are bitcoin miners, and the process of verification is fundamental to how they make (or mine) new bitcoins.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
This blockchain of transactions forms a distributed ledger that is difficult to modify and easy to verify (in theory); a ledger that is maintained collectively on a network with specific protocols to verify each new block in the chain, meaning that bitcoin exchanges are secure.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
These protocols revolve around cryptography (for computers, this is the use of math to code information) hence “crypto”currencies. However, someone needs to actually verify each new block in the chain to keep the system running smoothly.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
Using bitcoin as an example: bitcoins exist in digital ledgers, but to prevent fraudulent exchanges, transactions are recorded in encrypted blocks. Each block points at the previous block and has a timestamp. Go where each block points and you get a chain, called a “blockchain”.
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
Some people decided that, if the commodity backing a currency doesn’t matter, then why should money need to be a physical object and why should you need a government (or bank) to back money? From there, some programmers started developing cryptocurrencies (CCs).
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Senator Mike Rounds
@SenatorRounds
Software developments, however, mean that they don’t need to bother with masks and voice modulators. They can issue a ransom and request payment with a cryptocurrency (CC) (like bitcoin) rather than exchange a briefcase full of cash.
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