Progress is being made towards establishing a Bitcoin (BTC) strategic reserve in the US, but “obscure” authorized provisions are holding up the method, in line with Patrick Witt, the director of the White Home Crypto Council.
A number of authorities businesses are discussing the legalities and regulatory points of creating a Bitcoin strategic reserve, together with the Division of Justice (DOJ) and the Workplace of Authorized Counsel (OLC), Witt told the Crypto in America podcast. He mentioned:
“It appears simple, but you then get into some obscure authorized provisions, and why this company cannot do it, but truly, this different company may. We’re persevering with to push on that. It’s definitely nonetheless on the precedence listing proper now.”
US President Donald Trump signed an govt order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a “Digital Asset Stockpile” that included altcoins and different kinds of cryptocurrencies in March 2025.
Establishing a nation-state Bitcoin reserve can be a landmark second for the world’s first digital forex. Nonetheless, some within the Bitcoin group have been crucial of the chief order, criticizing the Trump administration for underdelivering on its promises.
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The Bitcoin group feels short-changed by the strategic reserve announcement
Trump’s govt order stipulated that the US authorities wouldn’t promote any of its Bitcoin holdings and solely add to the strategic reserve via BTC seized in asset forfeiture instances.
The chief order doesn’t permit the federal government to amass extra Bitcoin or digital property on the open market, which drew criticism from the Bitcoin group.
“The idea that the federal authorities will at some point construct a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve requires a full detachment from actuality,” Bitcoin maximalist Justin Bechler said.
“There isn’t a motion towards a Bitcoin reserve. There isn’t a intention to amass a fixed-supply asset in good religion. There are solely empty speeches, imprecise references and opportunistic pandering from Washington politicians,” he added.
In July 2025, the Trump administration launched a long-awaited report on digital asset coverage that didn’t embody extra particulars on a strategic BTC reserve, which drew additional backlash from the Bitcoin community.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent proposed in August 2025 that the federal government may acquire BTC through budget-neutral strategies, which don’t add to the annual funds deficit.
The announcement renewed hopes that the US authorities may begin shopping for BTC on the open market via changing parts of different reserve property to BTC or revaluing its previous metals holdings and utilizing these good points to amass extra Bitcoin.
Journal: US risks being ‘front run’ on Bitcoin reserve by other nations: Samson Mow
