US Congress Advances Bill for National Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Study

The United States is actively exploring the integration of digital assets into its national strategic reserves. A new congressional bill mandates the Treasury Department to thoroughly investigate the establishment of a Bitcoin reserve, signaling Washington's growing acknowledgment of cryptocurrencies' evolving role in global finance and national security.

Introduced by Congressman David Joyce, the House Appropriations bill HR 5166 directs the U.S. Treasury to deliver a comprehensive report within 90 days of its enactment. This report must detail the practicalities and hurdles of creating such a reserve, its impact on existing confiscated digital assets, accounting methods, and the selection of secure custody contractors. Additionally, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is tasked with outlining a detailed plan for the secure storage infrastructure, including robust security protocols and interagency transfer procedures for national digital asset management.

Having advanced through the House Committee on Appropriations and now slated for a full floor vote, the bill demonstrates significant legislative momentum. Industry observers, such as Kurt Watkins of Watkins Legal, anticipate that any custodial infrastructure developed by the Treasury will likely establish a benchmark for institutional custodians across the digital asset ecosystem, influencing best practices.

This initiative builds upon an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 7, 2025. That order initiated the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a broader digital asset reserve. Currently, both are comprised solely of seized assets, with an interagency task force assigned to devise a budget-neutral replenishment strategy.

Despite these developments, Treasury Secretary Bessent had previously clarified that the government has no current plans to actively purchase Bitcoin for these reserves. This statement reportedly had a noticeable impact on the asset's market valuation at the time, underscoring the market's sensitivity to official U.S. policy on digital assets.