US government’s crypto holdings drop $16 billion from their peak

The US government’s crypto holdings have dropped by $16 billion since peaking a year ago. Washington didn’t sell a thing to get there. It simply held on while the market moved against it.

From $40.7 billion to a smaller pile

The peak came in October 2025. At that point, the government’s Bitcoin holdings were reportedly worth around $40.7 billion. Bitcoin was trading near its all-time high of roughly $124,000.

As Bitcoin’s price slid in the months that followed, the estimated value of the federal stash fell into a range of $20 to $28 billion, depending on where the market sat on any given day. At its worst points, the drawdown from the peak reached approximately $20 billion.

As of early October 2026, the government is estimated to hold between 319,000 and 328,000 BTC. At prevailing prices near $82,000 to $83,000, that works out to a valuation of approximately $26 billion to $28 billion.

The $17 billion that got away

White House crypto advisor David Sacks has pointed to an earlier, arguably more painful figure. According to Sacks, the US government’s past sales of seized Bitcoin brought in approximately $366 million. Those same coins would now carry an estimated value of $17 billion.

That gap represents an opportunity cost of around $16 to $17 billion. The government sold low, and is now watching from the sidelines as those coins trade at a far higher value in someone else’s wallet.