US Congressman’s ARMA Bill Would Codify 20-Year Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

Rep. Nick Begich introduced the American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA) in the House on Thursday, a bill that would codify the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into permanent federal law. The Alaska Republican brought the legislation forward with 16 original cosponsors. ARMA would lock federally held bitcoin (BTC) for at least 20 years and require budget-neutral acquisitions. What the ARMA Bill Changes ARMA builds on the earlier BITCOIN Act framework and seeks to put President Donald Trumps March 2025 executive order on a statutory footing. Statutes outlast executive orders, which any future administration can rescind. Americas reserves balance sheet is a critical component of our nations insurance policy, bolstering our currency and providing assurance during times of uncertainty. Over time, the prevailing sentiment as to what constitutes a durable store of value can shift, and as such it is pic.twitter.com/7XfBwAWFGi Congressman Nick Begich (@RepNickBegich) May 21, 2026 Meanwhile, the bill authorizes the Treasury to acquire up to 200,000 BTC per year for five years, targeting a one-million-coin reserve. Acquisitions must avoid new taxpayer spending, echoing earlier gold-sale funding proposals tied to Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). The 20-year hold applies to all federally controlled bitcoin, including roughly 198,000 to 328,000 BTC the government accumulated through criminal forfeitures such as the Silk Road and Bitfinex hack cases. The Bitcoin Policy Institute has endorsed the package as a step toward professionalizing federal custody. Notably, the group framed the bill as a turning point for the strategic Bitcoin reserve concept. ARMA would put the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on permanent legal footing: requiring 20 year long-term Bitcoin holdings, budget-neutral acquisition strategies, and federal custody standards, they wrote. Committee hearings in the coming weeks will signal how quickly ARMA can advance.