U.S. House Introduces ARMA Bill to Establish Strategic Bitcoin Reserves
Alaska Congressman Nicholas Begich introduced H.R. 8957, the American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA), which has been publicly released on the congressional website and referred to the Financial Services Committee for review.
The bill requires that government criminal or civil forfeiture Bitcoin be included in a strategic reserve managed by the Treasury Department, with a minimum holding period of 20 years during which it cannot be sold; it establishes a quarterly reserve verification and third-party audit mechanism, allowing states to voluntarily hold Bitcoin in federally independent accounts; and it mandates a study within 180 days on budget-neutral accumulation paths, including forfeiture proceeds, donations, and Federal Reserve-related mechanisms.
In market mechanisms, Bitcoin holders and institutions signal to buy into the U.S. strategic reserve, selling off policy uncertainty; the event-driven bill's public disclosure and committee review direct funds towards compliant Bitcoin-related assets and RWA, benefiting long-term Bitcoin holders and custodial service providers, while facing pressure from short-term speculation and projects reliant on regulatory ambiguity.
Source: Public Information
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Nicholas Begich previously co-introduced this bill on May 21, 2026, with bipartisan colleagues including Jared Golden, continuing the strategic Bitcoin reserve concept from Trump's 2025 executive order, starting with forfeited assets to avoid new fiscal burdens. Earlier proposals like the BITCOIN Act suggested direct purchases of millions of Bitcoins, while this bill is more moderate and emphasizes transparent management.
In terms of capital pathways, the bill aims to mobilize existing government Bitcoin assets through centralized custody by the Treasury and explore budget-neutral accumulation, motivated by converting forfeiture proceeds into national strategic assets and enhancing financial sovereignty. Strategically, it sets rules for future forks/airdrops while providing avenues for state-level participation to diversify risk.
Similar to Switzerland or El Salvador incorporating Bitcoin into national reserve strategies, the U.S. is currently transitioning from passive holding of forfeited assets to active strategic reserves, with ARMA paving the way for formal legislation at the congressional level.
Essentially, this represents a regulatory change: institutionalizing Bitcoin as a national reserve asset through transparent audits and long-term holding, with mechanisms to convert law enforcement proceeds into fiscal tools, reducing market sell-off pressure and attracting global capital to the U.S. digital asset ecosystem, reshaping the diversification structure of reserve assets.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
Forfeited assets serve as a strategic starting point; long-term locking is preferable to short-term liquidation.
Clear regulations build a moat; without reserves, it's hard to gain pricing power.
When national sovereignty meets digital assets, the first legislators reshape global capital flows.