US BTC reserve bill targets 1M BTC

TLDR

US lawmakers have proposed a bill to build a 1 million Bitcoin strategic reserve, but it is still only a bill and not yet US law.

1. The American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA) would formalize a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve of up to 1 million BTC held by the US Treasury for at least 20 years.
2. ARMA envisions acquiring up to 200,000 BTC per year using budget-neutral methods like gold revaluation, and locking both new and existing federal BTC holdings unless used to cut national debt.
3. If it advances, the bill could tighten liquid BTC supply, strengthen self-custody rights in statute, and anchor Bitcoin in US fiscal policy, but it must clear committees, both chambers, and political scrutiny.

Deep Dive

1. What ARMA Actually Proposes

The American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 (ARMA) is a bipartisan House bill led by Rep. Nick Begich and co-led by Rep. Jared Golden that would create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate Digital Asset Stockpile inside the Treasury Department. Reports say the goal is to consolidate and eventually reach about 1 million BTC under federal control, roughly 5 percent of Bitcoins fixed 21 million supply, expanding on prior BITCOIN Act language and a March 2025 executive order that first created a strategic reserve framework. Coverage from Bitcoin.com and Cointelegraph describes ARMA as the Version 2 of that earlier reserve push, now aiming to put it into statute rather than relying on executive orders.

2. Mechanics, Pace, And Constraints

ARMA would authorize Treasury to acquire up to 200,000 BTC per year for five years, targeting a one million coin reserve, while requiring budget-neutral funding that avoids new taxes or deficit spending, for example via gold revaluation or related asset moves. The 20 year holding rule would apply to all federally controlled Bitcoin, including an estimated 300k plus BTC already held from seizures such as Silk Road and Bitfinex, ending routine auction sales and allowing sales only to reduce national debt. The bill also mandates strict custody standards and quarterly proof of reserves with third party audits, aiming to treat Bitcoin reserves more like a strategic asset than a disposable forfeiture pool.

3. Market And Policy Impacts To Watch

If enacted and fully executed, a 1 million BTC reserve would permanently remove a large share of supply from normal circulation for at least two decades, while also turning the US into one of the largest explicit long term BTC holders. ARMA also attempts to codify Americans rights to own, transfer, and self custody digital assets, which could become an important legal backstop in future regulatory fights. However, it is still only a bill: it needs committee markups, House passage, a Senate companion, and alignment with broader crypto legislation like the CLARITY Act before any coins are bought under this framework.

Conclusion

The US Bitcoin reserve bill is a serious attempt to lock federal BTC into a long term strategic role and to grow that stash toward 1 million coins, while protecting digital property rights. Its passage would be structurally bullish for Bitcoins supply dynamics and signal deep policy integration, but until it moves meaningfully through Congress it remains a powerful narrative rather than an executed market force.