BTC Reserve is a ‘priority’ but legalization hinders the process
According to Patrick Witt, director of the White House Crypto Council, progress is being made to establish a strategic reserve of Bitcoin (BTC) in the United States, but “hidden” legal provisions are holding up the process.
Several government agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), are discussing the legality and regulatory issues of establishing a Bitcoin strategic reserve, Witt told the Crypto in America podcast. And so he said.
“It sounds straightforward, but then you get into some vague legal provisions, and why this agency can't do it, but this other agency can. We're going to continue to push on this. It's certainly still on the priority list.”
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order by March 2025 to establish a systematic bitcoin reserve and a “digital asset reserve” that would include altcoins and other forms of cryptocurrencies.
Establishing a bitcoin reserve by a nation-state would be a unique landmark for the world's first digital currency. However, some in the Bitcoin community have criticized the executive order, criticizing the Trump administration's failure to deliver on its promises.
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The Bitcoin community feels short-changed by the strategic reserve announcement.
Trump's executive order stipulates that the U.S. government will not sell any Bitcoin holdings and will not add to strategic reserves solely through BTC held in asset forfeiture cases.
The executive order does not allow the government to acquire more Bitcoin or digital assets on the open market, which has led to criticism from the Bitcoin community.
“The belief that the federal government will one day build a strategic Bitcoin reserve is asking for something far from reality,” said Justin Bechler, a senior Bitcoin expert.
“There is no movement towards a bitcoin reserve. There is no idea of having a permanent supply asset in good faith. There are only empty words, vague references and possibilities from Washington politicians,” he added.
In the year In July 2025, the Trump administration released a long-awaited report on digital asset policy that did not include more details on digital asset policy, prompting further outrage from the Bitcoin community.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant suggested in August 2025 that the government could acquire BTC through budget-neutral mechanisms that would not add to the annual budget deficit.
The announcement renewed hopes that the US government could start buying BTC on the open market by converting other people's accumulated assets into BTC or revaluing their existing holdings of the metal and using the extra bitcoin they acquire.
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