The Bitcoin Reserve Bill, formally known as the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 (H.R. 8957), advanced in the U.S. House on September 16 after the House Financial Services Committee approved the legislation by a 28-21 vote.
- House Financial Services Committee passed the Bitcoin Reserve Bill, H.R. 8957, by a 28-21 vote.
- The bill would place government-held Bitcoin under Treasury custody with a minimum 20-year holding period.
- The Bitcoin Reserve Bill now heads to the full House, with no floor vote date set yet.
The U.S. House Financial Services Committee approved the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 (H.R. 8957) by a 28-21 vote on September 16, advancing legislation that would establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in federal law.
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The bill would consolidate federally held Bitcoin under the Treasury Department and impose a minimum 20-year holding period.
Bitcoin Reserve Bill: Reserve Terms and Audit Requirements
The American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA) would create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve alongside a separate Digital Asset Stockpile for non-Bitcoin holdings at the Treasury Department.
Bitcoin transferred to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve would face a minimum 20-year holding period. The legislation also establishes an annual proof-of-reserve system requiring public reports covering holdings, transactions and demonstrated control of private keys, alongside verification by an independent third-party auditor.
Bitcoin obtained through criminal or civil forfeiture would be deposited into the reserve and locked for a minimum of 20 years, with sales permitted only to retire outstanding federal debt.
The Bitcoin Reserve Bill does not establish a fixed program requiring Treasury to purchase a specified number of Bitcoin.
Instead, Treasury and the Commerce Department would study budget-neutral methods of acquiring additional BTC within 180 days of enactment. The study would examine options including forfeited assets and conversion of other digital assets while excluding new borrowing, taxation or deficit spending as funding.
If enacted, Treasury would be required to publicly disclose the government’s total Bitcoin holdings following an independent audit.
Current estimates vary, and there is no single officially reconciled public figure that should be treated as the confirmed U.S. government Bitcoin balance.
How Does the Bitcoin Reserve Bill Differ From Other Bitcoin Reserve Bills?
The legislation would turn the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve from an executive-branch policy into a statutory framework if it ultimately becomes law.
President Donald Trump established the initial reserve framework through an executive order in March 2025. DailyCoin previously reported that the order focused on retaining Bitcoin seized through government proceedings.
It differs from Senator Cynthia Lummis’s BITCOIN Act, which would mandate Treasury purchase 200,000 BTC annually, targeting 1 million BTC in five years.
The Bitcoin Reserve Bill protects existing holdings but does not compel new buying. Having cleared the House Financial Services Committee, the bill moves to the full House, though no floor vote date has been set. The legislation would then still need to pass the Senate before becoming law.
On the Flipside
- The Bitcoin Reserve Bill remains early-stage legislation, and passage through Congress is not guaranteed.
- The 20-year holding requirement would limit the government’s ability to liquidate reserve Bitcoin during that period.
- The bill’s acquisition provision requires a study of budget-neutral strategies rather than authorizing a predetermined Bitcoin purchasing program.
Why This Matters
Codifying a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in law would give U.S. Bitcoin policy more permanence than an executive order, a development crypto markets have watched closely as a signal of institutional and governmental commitment to Bitcoin.
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