Republican Congressman Nick Begich introduced the American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA) in the House of Representatives, a bipartisan proposal to turn the United States’ strategic bitcoin (BTC) reserve into permanent legislation and establish a framework for the management of digital assets held by the government. The initiative was introduced on May 21, 2026 together with Democrat Jared Golden.
The project seeks to give legal continuity to the reserve created by executive order in March 2025 and prevent future administrations from unilaterally reversing it. To this end, ARMA proposes to transfer all digital assets currently controlled by federal agencies to the Treasury Department.
The legislation contemplates the creation of a strategic bitcoin reserve and, separately, a deposit destined for other digital assets other than BTC. Additionally, it establishes that government-held bitcoins They must be kept for a minimum period of 20 years, with sales permitted only in limited circumstances, such as measures aimed at reducing public debt.
ARMA also introduces independent audits, quarterly public reserve reporting, and congressional oversight. Added to this is an order to study mechanisms that allow holdings to be expanded without increasing taxesissue new debt or increase the deficit.
The proposal recovers elements of previous initiatives promoted by Cynthia Lummis and Begichwhich proposed purchases of up to 200,000 BTC annually for five years, as reported by CriptoNoticias. This would have brought US reserves up to 1 million bitcoin, equivalent to approximately 5% of the total supply. However, The current version does not require immediate acquisitions and focuses on consolidating and protecting existing assets.
However, let us remember that The project must still pass legislative committeesvotes in the House and eventual conciliation with the Senate before becoming law. Furthermore, maintaining bitcoin as a strategic asset continues to be the subject of debate due to its volatility and doubts about whether an asset of these characteristics should be integrated into sovereign reserves along with traditional instruments such as gold.
It is worth noting that the United States already has one of the largest state reserves of bitcoin in the world. The estimates They place the holdings between 198,000 and more than 328,000 BTC, obtained mainly through seizures and judicial proceedings related to cases such as Silk Road and the Bitfinex hack. The value of these reserves amounts to tens of billions of dollars.
For now, ARMA shows a change in the American political discussion. The focus is no longer solely on what to do with the seized bitcoin, but on whether these assets should be permanently incorporated into the national financial strategy. If the project moves forward, it could ease pressure from government sales and reinforce the narrative of bitcoin as a sovereign reserve asset, a possibility that other countries are watching increasingly closely.