U.S. lawmakers have advanced legislation that would turn President Donald Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve from an executive policy into federal law. The House Financial Services Committee approved the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026, or H.R. 8957, in a 28–21 vote on September 16, moving the proposal closer to consideration by the full House. The legislation would establish a permanent Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and separate Digital Asset Stockpile within the Treasury Department.
Government Bitcoin Would Be Locked Up for 20 Years
One of the bill’s biggest provisions is a mandatory 20-year holding period for Bitcoin placed in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
During that period, the Treasury generally could not sell, swap, auction or otherwise dispose of the reserve’s Bitcoin. The legislation would also require greater transparency around the government’s crypto holdings through measures including quarterly proof-of-reserve disclosures and third-party audits.
Key provisions include:
- Establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve at the Treasury
- Creating a separate Digital Asset Stockpile for non-Bitcoin assets
- Requiring Bitcoin in the reserve to be held for at least 20 years
- Requiring quarterly proof-of-reserve reporting
- Establishing secure federal custody infrastructure
- Requiring independent audits of government Bitcoin holdings
The Bill Doesn’t Require the Government to Buy 1 Million Bitcoin
Importantly, H.R. 8957 differs from earlier proposals calling for the federal government to purchase massive amounts of Bitcoin.
The legislation primarily focuses on Bitcoin already obtained by the government through criminal and civil asset forfeitures. It does not mandate a fixed open-market Bitcoin purchasing program or require the government to buy 1 million BTC.
That means the proposal is primarily about changing how the government manages Bitcoin it already controls rather than immediately becoming a massive new buyer in the market.
Trump Created the Reserve by Executive Order in 2025
President Donald Trump established the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve through an executive order on March 6, 2025.
That order directed the Treasury to establish the reserve using Bitcoin forfeited to the federal government and said BTC deposited into it should not be sold. It also authorized the Treasury and Commerce departments to explore budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional Bitcoin, provided those strategies don’t impose additional costs on taxpayers.
H.R. 8957 would go further by putting the reserve into federal statute rather than leaving it dependent primarily on executive action.
Other Cryptocurrencies Would Go Into a Separate Stockpile
The proposal makes an important distinction between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin would be placed into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, while other federally owned digital assets would be held separately in a Digital Asset Stockpile.
That structure mirrors Trump’s original executive order, which treated Bitcoin differently from other government-held cryptocurrencies.
The Bill Still Has a Long Way to Go
The committee vote does not mean the Bitcoin reserve has been permanently established by Congress yet.
H.R. 8957 would still need to clear additional legislative steps, including passage by the full House. A corresponding measure would also need to advance through the Senate before legislation could ultimately reach the president’s desk. As of September 16, a similar bill had not passed the Senate.
The committee vote nevertheless moves Congress one step closer to determining whether the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve becomes a lasting part of U.S. law rather than a policy established through presidential executive order.
The U.S. Bitcoin Reserve Moves Closer to Becoming Permanent
The American Reserve Modernization Act represents a different approach to a national Bitcoin strategy than simply having the government purchase BTC.
Instead, lawmakers are considering whether Bitcoin already under federal control should become a long-term national reserve asset, subject to strict custody, transparency and holding requirements.
If H.R. 8957 ultimately becomes law, Bitcoin seized by the federal government could shift from an asset routinely eligible for disposal into something the Treasury is required to preserve for decades — formally embedding Bitcoin into the federal government’s reserve strategy.
