David Sacks Quits White House Crypto Czar Role While High-Stakes Legislation Stalls

David Sacks is stepping down from his role as the White House’s crypto and AI czar, ending a brief stint that reshaped U.S. digital asset policy, though several key legislative efforts remain unresolved.

Speaking to Bloomberg on Thursday, David Sacks said his role concluded after reaching the 130-day cap for special government employees. He’ll continue working with the administration as co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, focusing on broader technology matters.

“Moving forward as a co-chair of PCAST, I can now make recommendations on not just about AI, but an extended range of technology topics,” he told Bloomberg. “So yes, this is how I will be involved moving forward.”

Sacks will co-lead PCAST with Michael Kratsios, joined by high-profile members including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Andreessen “a16z” Horowitz’s Marc Andreessen, early Coinbase backer Fred Ehrsam, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.

Sacks has been a key figure in the White House since Donald Trump appointed him in December 2024 as a top technology adviser. During his tenure, he helped shape the administration’s crypto agenda, championing market structure and stablecoin legislation and advocating for a U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve as part of a broader effort to position America as a global crypto hub.

He also pushed for clearer digital asset regulations and, like many in Trump’s circle, criticized the previous administration under Joe Biden for relying too heavily on enforcement.

Key U.S. Crypto Legislation Hits Snag

In his role as crypto and AI czar, David Sacks assisted the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets in publishing a 166-page report in July that offered guidance on regulating the cryptocurrency sector.

His departure comes as Washington lawmakers continue pushing for comprehensive crypto regulation. Proposed legislation aims to divide oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Last year, the House passed its market structure bill, the Clarity Act, with bipartisan backing. In January, the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its own version along party lines, but progress has since stalled in the Senate Banking Committee, largely due to disagreements over how to treat stablecoin rewards.