US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Picks Up Speed — Congress Has A Six-Month Window To Make It Law, Warns Congressman Begich

• Nick Begich introduced the ARMA Act to establish a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve backed by 5% of the global supply, funded by seized Iranian crypto assets.
• Begich dubbed it "the new Fort Knox" and warned the GOP had six months to pass it before the November midterms.
• White House spokesman Patrick Witt called the reserve's legal and custodial framework a "breakthrough" at Consensus 2026.

Republican lawmakers are reportedly working to enact legislation that would formally establish a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR), according to Congressman Nick Begich (R-AL).

The American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA) has been submitted by Congressman Begich. The proposal would have the federal government buy and hold around 5 percent of the world’s Bitcoin (BTC) supply – the same percentage of world gold reserves that the U.S. has stored at Fort Knox.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Fox Business, Begich referred to the plan as "the new Fort Knox" and stated that no public funds would be needed because it would be fully financed by seized Iranian cryptocurrency holdings amassed during Operation Economic Fury. "This is basically the new Fort Knox," he said.

Begich has also solved the funding question. The Treasury is currently seizing crypto assets tied to Iran through Operation Economic Fury. His plan included taking the Ayatollah's Bitcoin and dropping it directly onto the U.S. balance sheet — zero taxpayer dollars required.

But Begich's sharpest message was aimed at his own party. Republicans control both chambers of Congress today. That may not be true after November.

 "Conservatives have a tight six-month window to pass this bill and lock it into law," he warned, adding that an executive order is only as durable as the president who signed it — and the next occupant of the White House could undo it overnight.

Bitcoin’s price was trading at $76,360, up over 1% in the last 24 hours. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around BTC dropped to ‘bearish’ from the ‘extremely bearish’ zone, while chatter stayed at ‘normal’ levels over the past day.

A Breakthrough In Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

The bill has drawn backing from the White House. Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House’s Presidential Advisory Committee on Digital Assets, stated publicly at the Consensus 2026 conference that the legal and institutional framework for this reserve project has reached key “breakthroughs”.

All project processes are fully legal and compliant, with asset protection measures in place. The project’s advancement has not been overshadowed by the high attention surrounding the concurrently passed Clarity Act. 

Cross-agency work for the initiative is led by Harry John, Witt’s deputy, who collaborates with the policy team led by Stephen Miller. Witt also cited the case of losses incurred by the U.S. Marshals Service from its seized cryptocurrency holdings to demonstrate the necessity of establishing a new custodial system, warning that policies rolled out solely via executive orders are vulnerable to being overturned by future ruling parties. 

"If we're not setting the rules, we will be following somebody else's rulebook," Witt said.

If passed, the law would make the US government one of the largest holders of bitcoin in the world, firmly establishing the commodity’s nascent role as a sovereign reserve asset, akin to gold. 

Read also: Adam Back Warns Memecoins Are Going To Zero Amid ‘Hyperbitcoinization’ — Dogecoin Rallies Higher

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