Blockchain Domain Names LLC Ends Rulon & White Lobbying Relationship

Why It Matters

Blockchain Domain Names LLC has filed an LDA termination with Rulon & White Governance Strategies et al LLC, ending a lobbying relationship that began in 2023 and spanned 14 filings — none of which ever reported income above the LDA disclosure threshold. The LDA filing 2077136, signed in first quarter 2026, lists no specific issues lobbied, no named lobbyists, and $0 in reported fees — consistent with every other filing in the engagement's history.

Under LDA rules, a $0 filing typically means fees either fell below the $5,000 quarterly reporting threshold or were otherwise not reportable.

That context matters for understanding the firm's exposure. I

A Blockchain-Heavy Client Roster With No Disclosed Fees

What the lobbying client profile does reveal is that Blockchain Domain Names LLC was one of several blockchain and technology clients at Rulon & White that reported $0 in the same period — a cluster that also includes Veritaseum Inc., Government Blockchain Association, and Cloud Computing Technologies LLC. Follow the money lobbying analysis of this firm's disclosed portfolio shows that the blockchain practice area, while central to the firm's identity, has not produced reportable revenue in the visible data.

No Replacement Firm on File

The available lobbying disclosure data does not show Blockchain Domain Names LLC registering a new lobbying firm to replace Rulon & White. No new registration filing has surfaced in the data for this client.

Broader Context

When Rulon & White registered to represent Blockchain Domain Names LLC in 2023, the disclosed issues were specific: Web 3 Blockchain Domains Policy and Bank Secrecy Act gaps pertaining to digital assets, along with meetings on Web 3.0 blockchain policy legislation proposals. Those disclosures appeared in the First Quarter 2023, Second Quarter 2023, Third Quarter 2023, and Fourth Quarter 2023 filings.

From 2024 onward, every quarterly filing went dark — no issues listed, no lobbyists named, no legislation cited. Eight consecutive quarters of blank filings preceded the termination.

The policy areas that originally animated this engagement are now at a more consequential stage than when the relationship began. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (H.R. 3633) — the CLARITY Act — passed the House with a 294–134 bipartisan vote and is now awaiting Senate action. Critically, the bill explicitly subjects digital commodity exchanges, brokers, and dealers to Bank Secrecy Act anti-money laundering compliance requirements — directly addressing the BSA gap that Blockchain Domain Names LLC was lobbying about in 2023.

In the 118th Congress, the predecessor bill — FIT21 (H.R. 4763) — passed the House but stalled in the Senate and died when the Congress ended. The Blockchain Technology Competitiveness Act (H.R. 6572) followed the same path. Both are now superseded by 119th Congress activity.

On the Web3 domain side specifically, the picture remains unresolved. ICANN published new technical documents on blockchain name systems in October 2024, and Unstoppable Domains received ICANN accreditation in 2024 — but no federal legislation governing blockchain domain names has been enacted. The Deploying American Blockchains Act (H.R. 1664) and its Senate companion S. 1492 remain active in committee in the 119th Congress, as does the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act (S. 4064).

Congressional Hearing Activity

The available data returned 10,000 total hearing statement matches referencing Blockchain Domain Names LLC across congressional records, though hearing dates were not available in the returned data fields, making it impossible to confirm which fall within a specific recent window. The most topically relevant hearings identified include proceedings on ICANN Generic Top-Level Domains, internet governance after ICANN 53, the multistakeholder plan for transitioning the Internet Assigned Number Authority, and ICANN's Top-Level Domain Name Program. No hearing was identified in the data that specifically cited Blockchain Domain Names LLC by name in a way that would suggest congressional scrutiny of the company itself contributed to the termination.

The Bottom Line

Rulon & White is not a generalist shop. The firm publicly launched what it described as the first independent dedicated digital currency lobby practice in 2021, and its lobbyists carry bipartisan congressional credentials. Jennifer Rulon previously served as an intern in the Senate office of Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI). Aaron Morales served as Press Secretary for Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM). On the Republican side, Chris Tuttle served as Policy Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Josh Shultz served as Media Strategies Director for Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), and Bobby Benson served as State Chief of Staff for Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN-6) — the current House Majority Whip and one of Congress's most prominent crypto advocates.

That last connection is notable given the current legislative environment. Emmer has been a consistent voice for crypto-friendly policy in the House, and the CLARITY Act's strong House passage reflects in part the influence of members like him.

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