Podcast: Senator Lummis on Why the Infrastructure Bill Kills Innovation

Jason and Senator Lummis talk bout the proposed infrastructure bill and the impact it could have on bitcoin and innovation at-large.

article-image

US Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)

share

In the latest episode of Blockworks’ podcast “Empire,” Jason Yanowitz , co-founder of Blockworks, sits down with US Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) to talk about the proposed infrastructure bill and the negative effects the bill could have for bitcoin, digital assets and innovation.

This is a shorter episode than usual as Senator Lummis had less than 30 minutes to record between votes.

Senator Lummis and Jason talk about:

  • Impact of inflation
  • Increasing national debt
  • Fiscal policy
  • The infrastructure bill
  • Knowledge of BTC in the Senate
  • Regulation vs innovation

Check out what they had to say in the video below. 👇

On “Empire,” once a week, Jason interviews individuals that have built the crypto industry to talk about their struggles, bold moves and tough decisions. For any NPR or Guy Raz fans out there, you can think of “Empire” like a “How I Built This” for the bitcoin and crypto industry.

Episodes are released every Thursday morning. 

Subscribe to Empire today on Apple or Spotify. Watch episodes on YouTube.

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.jpg

Research

Figure, founded by former SoFi CEO Mike Cagney, has emerged as a leader in onchain RWAs, with ~$17.5B publicly tokenized. The platform’s ecosystem volume is growing ~40% YoY as it expands beyond HELOCs into student loans, DSCR loans, unsecured loans, bankruptcy claims, and more. Operationally, Figure cuts average loan production cost by ~93% and compresses median funding time from ~42 days to ~10, creating a durable speed-and-cost advantage.

article-image

Former White House crypto official Bo Hines is expected to be the CEO of the new project

article-image

In bonds, stablecoins and billionaires, a reminder of what makes crypto special

article-image

21Shares exec says CPI and PPI data supports a Fed rate cut, with market leaning toward a 25bps decrease

article-image

The Ethereum co-founder suggested LINEA holders would be eligible for other airdrops in cryptic tweet

article-image

The layer-2’s biggest release yet brings benefits — but a post-upgrade outage caused a chain reorg

article-image

Crypto is shifting into risk-on mode — pump.fun dominates meme activity, while Lido leans on treasury maneuvers