{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-van-epps-helps-lead-legislation-to-establish-strategic-bitcoin-reserve", "Rep. Van Epps Helps Lead Legislation to Establish Strategic Bitcoin Reserve", "2026-05-22", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Matt Van Epps", "V000139", "vanepps.house.gov", "vanepps", "https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Rep. Van Epps is proud to help lead Congressman Nick Begich\u2019s legislation, the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 (ARMA). This landmark bipartisan legislation will establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and secure America\u2019s dominance in the future of digital finance.\n\nAt the Bitcoin Nashville conference in 2024, President Trump introduced his proposal to consolidate the federal government's Bitcoin holdings. Following through on his promise, the President signed an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. This legislation codifies President Trump\u2019s executive order to solidify American leadership in financial innovation for years to come.\n\n\u201cEstablishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve is long overdue. Consolidating the Federal Government\u2019s Bitcoin and digital assets holdings will strengthen America\u2019s financial position and help ensure the United States leads the future of digital finance. That\u2019s why I am proud to help lead Rep. Begich\u2019s American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA),\u201d said Congressman Matt Van Epps.\u201cIn addition to establishing a reserve, this legislation promotes transparency, security, and oversight of federally held Bitcoin. Just as importantly, the reserve would be established without cost to American taxpayers, while any sale of Bitcoin would only be for the purposes of reducing our national debt. With a national debt of $39 trillion, this is an essential piece of legislation.\u201d\n\nRep. Van Epps continued, \u201cNashville is quickly emerging as one of the nation\u2019s leading Bitcoin hubs, with a growing digital asset community, institutions like Bitcoin Park, and the annual Bitcoin conference, which is scheduled to come back to Nashville in 2027! Supporting this bill means supporting the financial innovation taking place in my district. A Strategic Bitcoin Reserve could potentially be used to solve major problems, like our federal debt. At the same time, there will be no cost to American taxpayers to establish the reserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe American Reserve Modernization Act positions the United States to lead confidently in the digital age while protecting taxpayer interests, strengthening financial sovereignty, and reinforcing the principles of transparency and sound stewardship,\u201d said Congressman Nick Begich. \u201cPrivate property rights are fundamental to the American Ideal, and those rights must extend fully into the digital space. As the global economy evolves, the United States must embrace policies that protect individual liberty, encourage new innovation systems, and diversify America\u2019s core reserves balance sheet.\u201d\n\nOriginal co-sponsors of the legislation include Representatives Matt Van Epps (TN-07), Earl L. \u201cBuddy\u201d Carter (GA-01), Ben Cline (VA-06), Barry Moore (AL-01), Burgess Owens (UT-04), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Mike Carey (OH-15), Mike Collins (GA-10), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Michael Rulli (OH-06), Riley Moore (WV-02), Tim Moore (NC-14), Abraham J. Hamadeh (AZ-08), Pat Harrigan (NC-10), Mike Haridopolos (FL-08), Gabe Evans (CO-08), and Dave Taylor (OH-02).\n\nRead the legislation here.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 establishes a secure Strategic Bitcoin Reserve within the U.S. Department of the Treasury, alongside a separate Digital Asset Stockpile for federally held non-Bitcoin digital assets. The legislation consolidates the custody and management of digital assets held across federal agencies under the Treasury to ensure secure stewardship, transparency, and consistent oversight of taxpayer-owned assets acquired through forfeitures, penalties, and other lawful government proceedings.\n\nThis legislation positions the United States as a leader in responsible digital asset custody while creating a long-term framework for the secure management of strategic digital reserves. The legislation requires all federal agencies to provide a full accounting of digital assets currently held or controlled by the federal government and establishes robust transparency measures, including quarterly public \u201cProof of Reserve\u201d reports, independent third-party audits, and congressional oversight.\n\nTo reinforce the strategic nature of the reserve, the bill requires Bitcoin held in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to be maintained for a minimum of 20 years. The bill also protects Americans\u2019 digital property rights by affirming that the federal government may not impair the lawful right of individuals to own, transfer, or self-custody digital assets. Additionally, the legislation directs a study on budget-neutral acquisition strategies to evaluate lawful methods for expanding strategic reserves without increasing taxes, deficit spending, or the national debt.\n\nThe American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 builds upon ongoing congressional efforts to modernize federal digital asset policy and establish durable protections for the responsible management of strategic digital assets.", 1, "2026-05-23T06:08:46Z", "2026-05-23T06:10:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-van-epps-helps-lead-legislation-to-establish-strategic-bitcoin-reserve"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9292121976613998, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}