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Matt Van Epps wants to make it permanent. The newly elected Nashville representative is pushing the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 — and he already has eighteen co-sponsors backing him.
Van Epps is co-leading the initiative with Representative Nick Begich. The central idea: take the executive order signed by Trump in March 2025, which created a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and turn it into law. Not just an order that a future president can erase with a stroke of a pen — a real law, with the U.S. Treasury Department as the official manager. The Bitcoin in question is the one already seized by federal law enforcement. No new acquisitions planned, no additional budget requested. Van Epps is clear on this point: maintaining these assets costs taxpayers nothing.
Nashville is no coincidence.
The city hosts Bitcoin Park and an annual conference dedicated to Bitcoin. Van Epps grew up in this ecosystem, and he sees the ARMA as a logical extension of what his constituency already represents in the crypto world. For him, supporting this bill also means supporting financial innovation at home.
The $39 Trillion Debt, Central Argument of the Bill
The real driver of the bill is fiscal. Van Epps does not hide the fact that the U.S. national debt — $39 trillion — is at the heart of his approach. His reasoning: Bitcoin, with its fixed supply and long-term appreciation potential, gives the United States leverage that traditional reserves like gold cannot offer in the same way.
And he goes further. The bill stipulates that if the government ever sells Bitcoin from the reserve, the money can only be used to pay down the debt. Zero discretionary spending. Zero transfers to other programs. This is a strict constraint, written into the bill itself.
Not now, not in twenty years either — the Bitcoin in the reserve must remain locked for at least twenty years. This is one of the most striking provisions of the bill. The idea is to treat Bitcoin as a generational balance sheet asset, not as a short-term political tool. A way to tell markets and investors: we are not here to speculate.
Quarterly Audits and Individual Rights on Digital Assets
Transparency is a strong argument for Van Epps. Trump’s executive order lacked clear guarantees on this point — the ARMA seeks to fill this gap. The bill provides for quarterly proof-of-reserve reports and independent audits. The public could thus verify that management remains honest, without having to blindly trust one administration or another.
There is also a libertarian clause in the bill, and it is explicit: the federal government cannot interfere with the individual right to own, transfer, or hold digital assets. This is a provision that speaks directly to the pro-Bitcoin community in Congress — those who see Bitcoin not just as an asset, but as a matter of economic freedom. Van Epps plays on both fronts: the fiscal argument for pragmatists, the rights argument for ideologues.
The eighteen co-sponsors come from nine different states. It’s solid initial support for the House of Representatives. But the House is the easy part.
The Senate is another story.
Sixty votes are needed to overcome a potential filibuster. Other crypto legislation is circulating in parallel, and priorities differ among senators. The path to a bipartisan majority remains unclear — Van Epps and his allies will likely have to make compromises to move forward. The debates on the long-term monetary implications of such a reserve are not settled either. Some members of Congress are concerned about the effect it could have on economic policies, on the relationship between the Treasury and the Fed, on the symbolic meaning of tying national reserves to an asset as volatile as Bitcoin.
No clear answers to these questions yet. The bill moves forward, as do the discussions.
What is clear is that Bitcoin is gaining ground as a strategic asset in the halls of Congress. The ARMA is not the only initiative in this direction — other crypto projects are vying for legislative space. But Van Epps has something many do not: a strong territorial anchor, an entire city behind him, and a fiscal argument that resonates beyond the pure crypto community. The $39 trillion debt, everyone sees it. Not everyone believes Bitcoin can address it — but the argument exists, and it is in the text.
Eighteen co-sponsors, nine states, twenty years of mandatory minimum holding.
Hub: Bitcoin: Price, News, and Analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026?
It is a bill sponsored by Representatives Matt Van Epps and Nick Begich that aims to codify into law the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve created by Trump’s executive order in March 2025, under the management of the U.S. Treasury Department.
Why does the bill impose a minimum holding period of 20 years?
To treat Bitcoin as a generational balance sheet asset and protect it from short-term political decisions, with independent audits and quarterly proof-of-reserve reports to ensure transparency.
What obstacles does the bill face in the Senate?
The bill needs 60 votes to pass, must compete with other ongoing crypto legislation, and bipartisan consensus remains uncertain based on available information.
