Bitcoin as a National Strategic Asset? U.S. Congressman Proposes Annual Purchase of 200,000 BTC, Locked for 20 Years

By Micah Zimmerman

Translated by AididiaoJP, Foresight News

On May 21, U.S. Representative Nick Begich (R-Alaska) formally introduced the American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA), aiming to codify President Trump’s March 2025 executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into permanent statutory law—laying a solid foundation for a permanent U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

The bill enjoys bipartisan support and currently has over a dozen co-sponsors in Congress. It assigns the U.S. Department of the Treasury responsibility for managing the Bitcoin reserve, while also creating a separate Digital Asset Reserve to hold other federally owned crypto assets beyond Bitcoin. Begich draws a direct analogy between Bitcoin and gold, asserting that markets have clearly established both as the dominant stores of value within their respective asset classes.

In an interview with Fox Business, he stated: “Look at gold—it is the dominant precious metals reserve asset. Bitcoin accounts for roughly 60% of the total market capitalization of the entire cryptocurrency market. The market has already made its choice: whether gold or Bitcoin, each stands as the premier store of value in its asset class.”

ARMA builds upon and upgrades the earlier BITCOIN Act. In March 2025, Begich had jointly introduced related legislation with Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. The new bill authorizes the Treasury to acquire up to 200,000 bitcoins annually over five years, targeting a final reserve of one million bitcoins—approximately 5% of the global Bitcoin supply. All held bitcoins will be locked for a minimum of 20 years and may not be sold.

Currently, the U.S. government holds approximately 328,000 bitcoins, primarily seized by law enforcement agencies—including assets recovered from the Silk Road case and the 2022 Bitfinex hack. These bitcoins currently lack a unified strategic management framework.

Co-sponsor Representative Pat Harrigan of North Carolina underscored the urgency of this issue: “The U.S. government already holds billions of dollars’ worth of seized bitcoin, yet it lacks a coherent management strategy—a situation that must change.”

The bill’s introduction coincides with the peak of Washington’s pro-crypto legislative wave. On May 13, the Senate Banking Committee approved the Digital Asset Market Structure Clarification Act by a bipartisan vote of 15–9, paving the way for a regulatory framework for the crypto industry. Senator Lummis indicated that the bill could reach a full Senate vote by mid-June, though she acknowledged this timeline may be optimistic.

Meanwhile, the Treasury Department is intensifying efforts to combat crypto-related illicit financial activities. Under Operation Economic Fury, the U.S. had seized nearly $500 million in Iran-linked crypto assets by the end of April—further highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive digital asset management strategy.

The White House has also signaled that operational details of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve are imminent. A senior official revealed that major legal hurdles have already been cleared.