House Committee Advances Bill to Put the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Into Law

The House Financial Services Committee advanced H.R. 8957, the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026, by a 28–21 vote on September 16, sending legislation intended to place the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on a statutory footing toward consideration by the full House. The committee’s official markup agenda listed the bill for consideration that day, while Unchained reported the vote tally.

House Financial Services Committee advances H.R. 8957

The committee action is a procedural step, not final enactment. H.R. 8957 must still be considered by the full House before it could advance further through Congress.

The measure is titled the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026. Its central purpose is to turn a bitcoin-reserve policy established by executive action into a program created under federal law.

H.R. 8957 sets 20-year bitcoin holding rule

Under the bill text, the Treasury secretary would be directed to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate Digital Asset Stockpile. The distinction would place bitcoin in its own reserve structure rather than treating it solely as part of a broader pool of digital assets.

Bitcoin held by the federal government would be subject to a minimum 20-year holding period. The legislation also places restrictions on the sale or other disposal of those holdings, according to the introduced bill text published by the Government Publishing Office.

The holding requirement would make the reserve a long-duration federal program if enacted, limiting the Treasury’s ability to liquidate bitcoin within that period except as permitted under the measure’s terms.

Bill would codify Executive Order 14233

The legislative effort concerns the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve established under Executive Order 14233, signed on March 6, 2025. H.R. 8957 seeks to convert that executive-created arrangement into a statutory federal program, according to the legislative record cited by the House Office of the Law Revision Counsel.

That shift matters because executive orders can be changed by a later administration, while a statutory reserve would require congressional action to alter or repeal. The bill’s 20-year bitcoin holding provision would be among the operating constraints written into that framework.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.