Legislation designed to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve has been referred to the House Financial Services Committee as the concept makes its way from a talking point to law.
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order in the spring of 2025 that sought to create a digital asset stockpile by requiring seized digital assets to remain in a US Digital Asset Stockpile. It was described as halting a “fire sale” of digital assets like Bitcoin.
In 2024, S.4912, the Bitcoin Act, sought to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve. Similar legislation was reintroduced in 2025 but died in the Senate without ever reaching a vote.
This week, the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 (ARMA), HR 8957, is poised to require a strategic reserve and, according to its sponsors, to “secure America’s dominance in the future of digital finance.”
The Act establishes a reserve within the US Department of the Treasury, as well as a separate Digital Asset Stockpile for non-Bitcoin digital assets. The Treasury will oversee custody and management of the digital assets. The legislation requires all federal agencies to provide a full accounting of digital assets currently held or controlled, including a quarterly public “Proof of Reserve” report.
The legislation requires Bitcoin held in the strategic reserve to be maintained for a minimum of 20 years.
The bill is bipartisan, having gained a single Democrat willing to put their name to the bill.
Representative Matt Van Epps from Tennessee believes the legislation will help strengthen the US’s financial position. He foresees a strategic reserve used to address major problems, such as the ballooning federal deficit.
Representative Nick Begich, the lead sponsor, predicts the legislation will position the United States to “lead confidently in the digital age while protecting taxpayer interests, strengthening financial sovereignty, and reinforcing the principles of transparency and sound stewardship.”
While the legislation is now in Committee, it is not yet certain when it will be up for debate. As the White House has already expressed its intent to establish a Bitcoin reserve, it should become law if it receives enough votes in the House and the Senate.
