U.S. Lawmakers Float Bipartisan Bill to Add Government-Held Bitcoin to Reserves, Impose 20-Year Lockup

A bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 (ARMA), legislation that would place Bitcoin held by the federal government into a strategic reserve and restrict any disposal for at least 20 years. The proposal differs from the earlier BITCOIN Act by dropping the requirement that the U.S. government buy 1 million BTC. Instead, ARMA focuses on Bitcoin already in government custody, as well as any Bitcoin acquired in the future through criminal and civil forfeitures. The draft also calls for a separate digital asset inventory to oversee federal holdings of non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies. Under the bill, Bitcoin designated for the strategic reserve could not be sold, exchanged, auctioned, pledged, or otherwise transferred for 20 years. Once the lockup expires, the Treasury Secretary would be permitted to recommend sales of up to 10% of reserve assets in any two-year period. ARMA would require quarterly public disclosures of reserve proofs and mandate third-party audits of the government's Bitcoin holdings. Backers say the U.S. should treat strategic digital assets as long-term reserve holdings rather than liquidating them.