Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sent conflicting signals Thursday over the future of U.S. government bitcoin acquisitions, initially ruling out new purchases before later suggesting they remain on the table.

Speaking early in the day, Bessent told reporters the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) would remain limited to the $15 $20 billion worth of bitcoin already held largely from law enforcement seizures and that no additional buying was planned.

By late afternoon, however, the secretary appeared to reverse course. In a post on X, Bessent said the Treasury is “committed to exploring budget-neutral pathways to acquire more Bitcoin to expand the reserve 

He emphasized that while seized assets would remain the “foundation” of the SBR, the government is open to finding cost-offsetting mechanisms to add to its holdings.

The market’s muted reaction to Bessent’s updated comments suggests traders remain focused on macroeconomic conditions rather than potential government Bitcoin accumulation. Still, his late-day statement leaves open the possibility that the U.S. could emerge as an active buyer in the world’s largest cryptocurrency, should budget-neutral mechanisms prove viable.