Lawmakers move to write the reserve into federal law, testing whether Congress will back the White House's Bitcoin policy.
A House committee has voted to advance a bill that would codify the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve established under President Trump. The measure, reported by Cointelegraph and The Block, would write the reserve’s existence and structure directly into federal statute.
The reserve was originally created through executive action, giving the federal government a formal policy of holding bitcoin. Executive orders, however, carry an inherent weakness. A future administration can reverse them without needing Congress. Codification changes that dynamic by requiring lawmakers, not just the White House, to sign off on the reserve’s future.
Coindoo described the committee vote as the first real test of the reserve inside Congress. Until now, the policy has existed largely as an administrative decision rather than a legislative one. Moving the bill through committee shifts the debate from the executive branch to the House floor, where broader political dynamics come into play.
Supporters of codification argue that a durable legal foundation gives the reserve staying power beyond any single presidency. They contend that formalizing the holding in statute would reduce uncertainty for markets and for federal agencies managing the asset. Critics, meanwhile, may raise questions about custody arrangements, oversight, and the appropriate role of the federal government in holding a volatile digital asset.
The bill’s path is not finished. Committee approval is only one stage in the legislative process. The measure still needs a vote from the full House, passage in the Senate, and ultimately the president’s signature to become binding law. Each of those stages introduces the possibility of amendments, delays, or opposition that could reshape the bill’s final form.
The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve itself has drawn attention since its creation as a marker of how the federal government intends to treat bitcoin as a long-term holding rather than a asset to be liquidated. Codifying that stance would represent a shift from policy discretion to statutory obligation. It would also set a precedent for how digital assets are treated within broader federal balance sheet management.
The committee action comes as Congress continues to work through separate legislative efforts on stablecoin regulation and digital asset market structure. Those parallel efforts underscore a wider push in Washington to define clearer rules for cryptocurrency, spanning custody, oversight, and now sovereign holdings.
Sources disagree on this story
This article was published before the reports below were compared. The reporting above stands; what follows is where the published accounts do not agree.
Cointelegraph and Decrypt both cover the same committee-passed bill but disagree on whether it requires quarterly or annual proof-of-reserve reporting.
What all sources agree on
- The House Financial Services Committee reported H.R. 8957, the American Reserve Modernization Act, favorably by a vote of 28-21.
- The bill would establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate Digital Asset Stockpile within the Treasury.
- Bitcoin deposited into the reserve could not be sold, swapped, auctioned, or otherwise disposed of for at least 20 years.
- The bill directs a study of budget-neutral Bitcoin acquisition methods rather than authorizing purchases.
- Trump created the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve by executive order in March 2025.
- The bill still needs to pass the full House and Senate before reaching the president's desk.
Where the reports disagree
1Frequency of proof-of-reserve reporting in the passed bill
The legislation requires all federal agencies to provide a full accounting of digital assets currently held or controlled by the federal government and establishes transparency measures, including quarterly “proof of reserve” reports and third-party audits.
The version that advanced drops proof-of-reserve reporting from quarterly to annual, and removes the requirement to post reports on Treasury's website.
What would settle it: The enrolled text of H.R. 8957 as reported by the House Financial Services Committee, or the committee's official markup transcript/substitute text.
What to make of it
Treat the committee's 28-21 vote and the 20-year Bitcoin holding period as settled, but do not assume a specific proof-of-reserve reporting schedule (quarterly vs. annual) until the committee's actual reported bill text is checked.
Market Impact
Codifying the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into law could offer institutional investors a clearer signal about the durability of federal bitcoin policy. A statute is harder to unwind than an executive order, which may factor into how corporate treasuries and asset managers weigh long-term exposure to the asset.
At the same time, the bill's early stage limits its immediate market effect. Passage still requires action in the full House, the Senate, and a presidential signature, meaning outcomes remain uncertain. Market participants are likely to watch subsequent votes closely rather than react solely to the committee-level advance.
The committee vote marks an early but notable step toward giving the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve a permanent legal footing. Whether it survives the full legislative process remains an open question.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to codify the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?
Codifying the reserve means writing its existence and rules into federal law through legislation, rather than relying on an executive order that a future administration could reverse.
Has the bill become law yet?
No. The bill has only cleared a House committee. It still needs approval from the full House, the Senate, and the president's signature before it takes effect.
Why does congressional action matter for the reserve's future?
Executive orders can be undone by a new administration without a legislative vote. A law passed by Congress would require future lawmakers to act to change the reserve, giving it more durability.
How does this fit into broader crypto policy in Congress?
The bill comes alongside separate congressional efforts on stablecoin regulation and digital asset market structure, reflecting a wider push to set clearer federal rules for cryptocurrency.
