Ethereum remains the focus of policy discussions, with its top political advocates stating that the network does not need additional "marketing" in Washington, D.C.
A current narrative in Washington is that 2025 will be the most significant year in crypto policy history. Federal agencies are rapidly adjusting digital asset policies; fundamental crypto bills are accelerating through both houses of Congress; and the president continues to sign policies long-awaited by the industry.
To this end, supporters of mainstream global public chains have established dedicated institutions in Washington to seize this key opportunity. At the beginning of the year, the Bitcoin Policy Institute, originally with only three full-time employees, not only expanded its size threefold but also established its first physical office. Earlier this month, two top crypto lobbyists in Washington jointly created the Solana Policy Institute, causing a sensation.
So where does Ethereum stand in this commotion?
As the dominant public chain that birthed decentralized applications and smart contracts, Ethereum is undoubtedly one of the most important participants in the crypto field. However, for a long time, the chain's leadership has been considered more focused on technical principles rather than seeking public opinion support, an arguably less noble yet crucial task.
Currently, there is no active Ethereum brand policy institution in Washington. It is also difficult to find anyone claiming to have lobbied full-time for Ethereum during Trump's second term. However, when asked about this, the chain's important political allies firmly assert that the current situation does not need to change.
"We have no anxiety or concern about the degree and quality of Ethereum's involvement," ConsenSys' Global Head of Regulatory Affairs Bill Hughes told Decrypt when commenting on the status during the Trump administration. This former Trump administration official (who previously worked in the White House and Department of Justice) is now primarily focused on helping ConsenSys navigate various regulatory obstacles, but he also considers broadly representing the Ethereum network as core to his responsibilities.
In recent weeks, Hughes has attended meetings about Ethereum's long-term development at the White House and SEC. However, he states that extolling Ethereum's achievements in such settings is superfluous: "Our policy work does not need marketing tactics—perhaps other projects do."
Although Hughes welcomes the establishment of the Solana Policy Institute ("the more, the merrier"), he also characterizes it as a marketing move—given Ethereum's "natural" dominance in policy discussions, he believes the chain never needs such operations. He provides an example where during an SEC meeting about crypto staking, staff were "completely focused on Ethereum," causing a Solana supporter to stand up and emphasize that "Solana's approach is slightly different".
"Solana's MEV (Miner Extractable Value)? No one has ever discussed it," Hughes summarized when discussing policy discussions in Washington about additional earnings for miners and validators in decentralized networks. "As soon as MEV becomes a policy issue, the discussion will inevitably focus on Ethereum, and that's it." He added that policy discussions about staking ETPs (Wall Street trading products aimed at conveying staking returns for ETH, SOL, etc.) are similar.
A Solana Policy Institute representative declined to comment on this article.
Ethereum veteran developer Danny Ryan (who coordinated the 2022 merge upgrade) proudly believes that the chain's lobbying strategy is superior to other public chains due to its decentralized nature. "Ethereum's advantage is having countless advocates," he told Decrypt, "This is true decentralization, not completely centralized operations." Ryan sees himself as part of Ethereum's "army", and last month joined the new organization Etherealize to simplify the network's relationship with Wall Street, occasionally participating in policy discussions in Washington.
Similar to Hughes, Ryan's full-time job is not representing Ethereum's interests in Washington. The developer acknowledges that in a highly centralized political and economic system, power brokers need a clear point of contact. "But this is exactly what we are trying to build—a coherent voice that can answer the phone at any time."
Earlier this year, when Ethereum Foundation leadership was criticized for neglecting public relations, Ryan was recommended by many as an ideal executive director candidate due to his recognized lobbying abilities and cultural representation. However, he was ultimately not appointed. Compared to other former foundation executives, Ryan is more willing to candidly admit that the Ethereum ecosystem sometimes struggles with marketing, though this may not be critical to its survival.
"A vacuum indeed exists," Ryan admits. But the developer emphasizes that his mission, along with other part-time contributors in the decentralized advocacy system, is to "fill this vacuum" and shape a "more coherent discussion and narrative".
