US Bitcoin reserve: White House promises major Strategic BTC update soon
The White House is preparing a major announcement on the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, according to crypto adviser Patrick Witt. Speaking at Bitcoin 2026 in Las Vegas, Witt said the administration has made a “breakthrough” on executive-branch policy details covering how federally held Bitcoin should be protected and treated on the government balance sheet.
Witt said a big Bitcoin reserve announcement could come in the next few weeks. He pointed to an executive order signed on March 6, 2025, which created the Strategic BTC Reserve and a separate US Digital Asset Stockpile. The order directs that forfeited government Bitcoin placed into the reserve “shall not be sold,” and asks Treasury and Commerce to pursue budget-neutral acquisition strategies for additional Bitcoin.
However, Witt framed the move as not the final step. A more durable Bitcoin reserve regime likely requires Congress to codify the reserve in law. He referenced ongoing legislative work, including Senator Cynthia Lummis’ “Bitcoin Act” and House plans led by Rep. Nick Begich, who said a new bill name— the American Reserves Modernization Act (ARMA)—is expected to be reintroduced soon.
Begich said ARMA would map where BTC is held across agencies, set custody rules, and restrict actions such as lending against the reserve or allowing the reserve to be treated as a short-term political tool. At press time, BTC traded around $76,941, and the article notes technical focus around the 20-week EMA.
Bullish
The article signals a potentially constructive catalyst for the Bitcoin market: the White House and its advisors are pointing to a near-term “big announcement” on the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and the existing executive order already enshrines key features such as “not selling” forfeited government BTC. For traders, that increases the probability of tighter policy frameworks and more persistent official demand/holding behavior, which historically tends to support sentiment.
That said, the news is not fully “locked in.” The executive branch can advance custody, agency coordination, and legal interpretations, but the more durable reserve structure appears to depend on Congress. This makes the impact partly back-and-forth: in the short term, headline-driven optimism can lift BTC as traders front-run policy clarity; in the medium/long term, the market will likely react to whether ARMA (or the related Lummis/BITCOIN Act lineage) successfully passes, along with any details on accounting, custody constraints, and lending restrictions.
Compared with past regulatory-policy previews (where markets rallied on expected institutional/sovereign involvement but later softened on legislative delays), you should expect volatility around announcement timing and bill wording. Net-net, the direction is bullish because the piece strengthens the probability of sustained “official reserve” treatment for BTC, even if final confirmation will hinge on congressional action.