USDU.S. Lawmakers Push Forward Multiple Bills Positioning Bitcoin as a Strategic National Asset
Congressional Momentum Builds Around Tax Payments in BTC and a Federal Reserve-Backed Bitcoin Reserve
TL;DR
- New federal bills aim to let Americans pay taxes in Bitcoin, with all collected BTC channeled into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
- Forecast models suggest the U.S. could accumulate more than 2.6 million BTC by 2030 under a 1% participation scenario.
- Parallel Senate proposals call for direct Treasury purchases totaling 1 million BTC over five years with 20-year minimum holding periods.
The push to integrate Bitcoin into federal infrastructure gained fresh momentum as Rep. Warren Davidson introduced the “Bitcoin for America Act” on Nov. 20, 2025, a proposal that would authorize taxpayers to settle federal tax obligations in BTC and direct all received coins into a national Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The bill frames Bitcoin as a long-term asset capable of strengthening U.S. financial resilience, warning that the country risks “falling behind Russia, China, and emerging nations” if it fails to diversify national wealth into what the measure calls a “non-inflationary store of value.” Davidson described the legislation as a modern shift in federal financial architecture, arguing that Americans already engaging with digital assets daily should have the option to use Bitcoin for statutory payments. He emphasized that the model is designed to give citizens choice while building what he characterized as a more strategically sound federal balance sheet.
Lawmakers backing the initiative cite early modeling from the Bitcoin Policy Institute that estimates more than 2.6 million BTC—roughly $230 billion based on prices when the analysis was drafted—could flow into the reserve between January 1, 2025, and the end of 2030 if just 1% of federal taxes were paid in BTC. That scale of accumulation would place the United States among the most significant sovereign Bitcoin holders globally, adding notable market and geopolitical dimensions to the proposal. The legislative narrative portrays this as an opt-in, market-driven approach to national Bitcoin acquisition rather than a sweeping federal mandate. Leading researchers argue the reserve would give the U.S. a long-term appreciating asset rather than a currency exposed to inflation-driven erosion. At the time coverage circulated, Bitcoin traded near $88,769 after slipping around 1% over the day and remained almost 30% below its August peak above $126,000.
Parallel activity in the Senate shows that the momentum behind a strategic reserve framework has been building for more than a year. Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ BITCOIN Act of 2024, introduced July 31, 2024, laid out a comprehensive plan requiring the U.S. Treasury to purchase 200,000 BTC annually for five years, ultimately amassing 1 million BTC, or roughly 5% of the asset’s total capped supply. That bill stipulates a 20-year minimum holding period for all acquired Bitcoin unless used to retire federal debt, and it calls for a decentralized network of secure storage facilities across the country. Funding mechanisms would rely on Federal Reserve bank surplus reductions and mandated remittances of certain net earnings for ongoing BTC purchases. The Senate framework underscores its intent to treat Bitcoin similarly to how the government historically manages gold reserves—a strategic hedge rather than an actively traded financial instrument.
Davidson’s proposal adds a second pathway to accumulation by using voluntary taxpayer participation rather than Treasury-driven purchases. Supporters say the dual approach could accelerate national stockpiling while reducing the federal budget impact by enabling citizen-driven inflows. Rep. Nick Begich has reinforced the long-term positioning language common across these bills, arguing that any strategic reserve asset must be held long enough to matter geopolitically, describing his view of the government as “not a day-trader” but a steward of durable national reserves. Lummis earlier framed Bitcoin as a digital-era counterpart to long-standing gold holdings, emphasizing that the Treasury’s mandate historically includes safeguarding assets that could bolster economic security during periods of volatility or global competition.
The growing constellation of bills signals an evolving federal view of Bitcoin’s role within national strategy. Whether through taxpayer-driven deposits or Treasury-directed purchases, U.S. legislators are now openly debating whether Bitcoin should sit alongside legacy reserve assets and how quickly the government should move to accumulate it. The scale of BTC proposed for federal ownership—whether 1 million coins through direct purchases or several million via tax-payment inflows—marks a consequential shift in Washington’s posture toward digital assets. The debate now centers not on whether Bitcoin belongs in the national conversation, but on how aggressively the U.S. should act as other nations sharpen their own strategies in the race for monetary and technological advantage.
This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.
