Bitcoin reserve plan gets 20-year lock in new ARMA bill

U.S. lawmakers have introduced ARMA, a new bill that seeks to create a Treasury-run Strategic Bitcoin Reserve with a 20-year holding rule.

Summary

• ARMA would create a Treasury-run Bitcoin reserve and separate stockpile for other federal digital assets.
• The bill would keep federal Bitcoin locked for 20 years, unless sold to reduce debt.
• Lawmakers also want quarterly audits, proof-of-reserve reports, and reviews of budget-neutral Bitcoin acquisition methods ahead.

Rep. Nick Begich introduced the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 alongside co-lead Rep. Jared Golden. Begich’s office said the bill would create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve within the U.S. Treasury and a separate Digital Asset Stockpile for non-Bitcoin assets held by the federal government.

The bill builds on the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve framework created by executive order in March 2025. That order directed Treasury officials to manage government Bitcoin obtained through forfeiture and other lawful proceedings, while also creating a stockpile for other seized digital assets.

Bitcoin holdings face 20-year lock

ARMA would require Bitcoin held in the reserve to remain there for at least 20 years. Begich’s office said the bill also protects the right of Americans to own, transfer, and self-custody digital assets.

The proposal also calls for quarterly proof-of-reserve reports, third-party audits, congressional oversight, and a full accounting of federal digital asset holdings. It directs a study into budget-neutral acquisition methods that would avoid higher taxes, deficit spending, or new national debt.

Lawmakers cite need for federal policy

Golden said the U.S. already holds Bitcoin but lacks a clear policy for managing it. He said “digital currencies are not the fringe phenomenon they once were,” adding that Congress had not set federal rules for what the government should do with those assets.

Begich said ARMA would protect taxpayer interests, support financial sovereignty, and extend private property rights into the digital space. Other supporters framed the bill as a way to stop the government from selling strategic digital assets without a long-term plan.

Bill follows White House reserve push

The bill arrives after renewed White House attention on the reserve. Recent crypto.news coverage noted that Patrick Witt, from the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, said officials were working through the legal structure needed to manage government-held Bitcoin.

Fox Business reported that Begich wants the U.S. to hold about 1 million Bitcoin, equal to roughly 5% of Bitcoin’s fixed supply. The proposal builds on earlier BITCOIN Act language for up to 200,000 BTC a year over five years.

For now, ARMA remains a bill, not law. Its next steps depend on committee action, House support, and Senate alignment with broader crypto legislation. The proposal places Bitcoin reserve policy back in Washington’s crypto debate as lawmakers weigh custody, debt, and property-rights rules.