Progress toward a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve is continuing, but internal legal hurdles are slowing the process, according to White House Crypto Council director Patrick Witt.
Legal hurdles across agencies
Witt said multiple agencies are involved in discussions about how a reserve could be established, including the Department of Justice and the Office of Legal Counsel.
He told the Crypto in America podcast:
“It seems straightforward, but then you get into some obscure legal provisions, and why this agency can’t do it, but actually, this other agency could. We’re continuing to push on that. It is certainly still on the priority list right now.”
What Trump’s order did
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate “Digital Asset Stockpile” that included non-bitcoin assets.
The order also stipulated the US government would not sell any bitcoin already held.
It said additions to the reserve would come only from bitcoin seized through asset forfeiture cases.
Community criticism and later proposals
Critics argued the executive order did not authorize open-market purchases of bitcoin.
Bitcoin maximalist Justin Bechler said:
“The belief that the federal government will one day build a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve requires a complete detachment from reality.”
In July 2025, the administration released a digital asset policy report that did not add further details on a bitcoin reserve, drawing additional backlash.
In August 2025, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the government could acquire bitcoin through “budget-neutral” strategies, including converting portions of other reserve assets.
