KEY POINTS
- Carole House said she is excited to help shape the future of "secure and trustworthy digital economies"
- House recently criticized the SEC for a "lack of clarity" in terms of crypto firms' operations
- The Biden administration has reportedly been reaching out to key crypto players to discuss policy
A former cryptocurrency advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden has been rehired to fill a position at the National Security Council. The development comes as the incumbent president appears to have been making a shift in his administration's approach toward the digital assets space.
Carole House, who helped author the U.S. president's crypto-focused executive order in 2022, will serve as the Special Advisor for Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Policy at the NSC.
House previously advised Biden from 2021 to 2022 as a cryptocurrency advisor. She played a key role in the drafting the president's Executive Order (EO) on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets. The said EO provided a framework on establishing guardrails that both protect consumers and encourage innovation in the fast-evolving sector.
"We must support technological advances that promote responsible development and use of digital assets. The technological architecture of different digital assets has substantial implications for privacy, national security, the operational security and resilience of financial systems, climate change, the ability to exercise human rights, and other national goals," part of the executive order states.
House said she is excited to once again return to government work. "Honored to have been called to return to service of absolutely critical mission sets that are necessary to shape the future of secure and trustworthy digital economies," she wrote on LinkedIn Monday.
Aside from helping craft one of the Biden government's first actions directly addressing the crypto industry, House is also known for having a more balanced view of how regulation should be implemented.
In an appearance at the Web3 Working Group podcast earlier this month, House provided balanced insights into regulating the crypto sector and the broader blockchain tech industry. She reiterated that she believes the necessary guardrails should be established to keep bad actors off the industry, but she also called out the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a "lack of clarity on pathway to registration or to successfully operate on the space."
She reiterated in a recent interview that the crypto industry "could do a lot" to improve its cybersecurity measures to prevent the proliferation of bad actors. She noted that "more enforcement" is needed in terms of international collaborations to stop "illicit flows" within the industry.
House's return under the Biden administration comes at a critical time in the incumbent president's bid toward securing a second term during the November elections. His government has been criticized by some in the sector for not recognizing the impact of crypto voters in politics.
On the other hand, it appears Biden is slowly lending a listening ear to the industry as it was reported late in May that his 2024 campaign has reached out to key crypto players on "crypto policy," a major issue that some lawmakers have also started paying attention to in recent months.
