Reviving the Bitcoin Reserve Bill: Begich Transforms Seizures into Strategic ARMA Initiative

US Representative Nick Begich has revealed his intention to rebrand the Bitcoin Act as the American Reserves Modernization Act (ARMA) in the upcoming weeks.

During his address at the 2026 Bitcoin conference held in Las Vegas, Congressman Begich stated that this initiative aims to garner further support from legislators for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve akin to that of gold reserves.

Begich Proposes Renaming US Bitcoin Act to ARMA

Last year, Begich and Senator Cynthia Lummis put forth the original Bitcoin Act, officially titled Boosting Innovation, Technology, and Competitiveness through Optimized Investment and Nationwide Bitcoin Act.

Apart from its new name and political strategy, ARMA does not present any significant changes compared to its predecessor. Its goals include augmenting the national Bitcoin reserve by acquiring 200,000 $BTC annually over five years. These coins would remain untouchable for two decades unless their sale is intended for reducing federal debt.

The legislation also stipulates that government purchases of Bitcoin will be funded using either the Federal Reserve’s discretionary surplus or profits derived from gold holdings. Historically, a significant portion of the nation’s $BTC reserves were accumulated through assets seized from criminals or fines paid in cryptocurrency.

Additional Insights

The proposed act mandates secure cold storage facilities across various locations nationwide for all acquired coins to safeguard them against cyber threats.

This bill emphasizes individual custody over crypto wallets while minimizing government intervention—a stark contrast to South Africa’s draft regulations which allow enforcement officers access to individuals’ private keys related to their crypto assets.

The forthcoming ARMA bill is currently under review by the Senate Banking Committee and is expected for markup in May. If approved, it is projected that Treasury will initiate its first official purchase of Bitcoin in Q4 2026. Beyond enhancing financial supremacy, this “digital gold” could serve as an inflationary buffer for our nation.

Pursuant estimates reveal that presently; the US government possesses approximately 328,372 $BTC, valued around $25.4 billion based on current prices at $77,357 per $BTC. This positions it as the largest sovereign holder of Bitcoins globally—followed closely by China with about 190,000 $BTC, and then by UK holding around 61,000 $BTC.

Source: Arkham Intelligence

FAQ:

• What is ARMA?
  ARMA stands for American Reserves Modernization Act; it’s a rebranding of an earlier proposal aimed at establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve similar to traditional gold reserves.
• What are its main objectives?
  The primary goal includes purchasing an annual total of 200k BTC over five years while ensuring these coins remain untouched unless sold specifically for reducing federal debt obligations.
• If passed when will Treasury start buying Bitcoins?
  If approved by Congress soon enough during committee reviews scheduled next month (May), initial purchases could begin as early as Q4-2026!

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