U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has clarified that the government will expand its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve through budget-neutral methods, despite earlier remarks suggesting no new BTC purchases.
Bessent confirmed that bitcoin forfeited to the federal government will form the reserve’s foundation, in line with President Trump’s March executive order. He emphasized that while confiscated BTC will be the initial source, the Treasury will explore ways to acquire more without adding costs to taxpayers—potentially through asset swaps, selling gold, issuing bitcoin bonds, or using surpluses.
The comments follow his Fox Business appearance where he stated the government would stop selling seized BTC and use it to build the reserve. The March 6 executive order explicitly directs the Treasury and Commerce Secretaries to find budget-neutral acquisition strategies.
Crypto advocates have been quick to react—some suspect the administration softened its tone to avoid market panic, while others argue direct purchases would be cleaner. Many believe eventual BTC buying is inevitable, with proponents seeing seized assets as a low-cost way to position the U.S. as a leader in global bitcoin policy.
What’s your take – will this budget-neutral approach position the U.S. as a dominant force in Bitcoin policy, or will the lack of direct purchases limit its long-term influence?
