House Committee Advances Bill to Write Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Into Law

The American Reserve Modernization Act cleared the House Financial Services Committee 28-21, sending a 20-year bitcoin lockup and Treasury custody mandate to the House floor.

Congress moves to lock up America's Bitcoin

Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska

Posted September 17, 2026 at 6:21 am EST.

The House Financial Services Committee voted 28-21 on Wednesday to advance the American Reserve Modernization Act, legislation that would convert President Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve from an executive order into federal statute. It is the furthest a bitcoin reserve bill has traveled in Congress.

H.R. 8957 runs 19 pages and directs the Treasury Department to maintain a secure bitcoin storage facility, centralizing coins the federal government holds through criminal and civil forfeiture. It creates a separate digital asset stockpile for non-bitcoin holdings, mandates ongoing accounting and oversight, and holds reserve bitcoin for 20 years. The text also directs work on budget-neutral strategies for acquiring more bitcoin over five years.

Permanence is the part that matters to holders. Trump’s March 2025 order can be reversed by a future president with another order, while a statute would require another act of Congress. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told senators in June that the reserve was proceeding at “deliberate speed” with roughly 207,000 BTC, funded by seizures rather than open-market buying. Codification would not accelerate that, but it would take repeal off the table as a near-term risk.