Headline: White House signals imminent “breakthrough” on operationalizing U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve The White House is preparing a major step to turn the U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve from policy into practice, with an announcement expected within weeks, officials said. Speaking at the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas, Patrick Witt — a senior administration official — said teams have been finalizing the legal and policy interpretations needed to secure and manage Bitcoin already on the government’s balance sheet. That work is intended to translate last year’s executive order into a functioning operational framework. Witt described the forthcoming statement as a “big announcement” and a potential “breakthrough” that will lay out the next phase of implementation, while stressing that congressional action will still be needed to lock in the reserve’s long-term legal footing. Legislative push continues: BITCOIN Act becomes ARMA On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are advancing parallel efforts to codify the reserve. Rep. Nick Begich said the bill previously known as the BITCOIN Act has been renamed the American Reserves Modernization Act (ARMA) as part of that effort. The legislative proposal builds on the executive order signed by former President Donald Trump, which established a strategic Bitcoin reserve largely funded through assets seized in criminal and civil cases and a separate digital-asset stockpile. Supporters argue that putting the reserve into law would prevent future administrations from reversing policy. Funding and scale: proposals on the table Earlier drafts from Sen. Cynthia Lummis envisioned a more ambitious approach, proposing acquisition of up to 1 million BTC over five years using budget-neutral mechanisms; Lummis wrote in October 2025 that the government could begin funding the reserve “anytime,” even as Congress debates the bill. Other ideas for long-term funding have been floated — notably by Jeff Park, CIO of ProCap BTC — who highlighted roughly $1 trillion in unrealized gains in U.S. gold reserves as a potential source for allocating value to Bitcoin. What’s settled — and what’s still open So far, government-held Bitcoin has come from forfeitures; the executive order set the framework, but officials have not publicly disclosed how additional coins would be acquired without tapping taxpayer funds. Witt’s remarks indicate the administration is close to defining the legal architecture to protect and manage existing holdings and to enable future operations, but he reiterated that legislation will be necessary to make the reserve permanent. The White House has not released further details on timing or the precise scope of the planned announcement. Watch for upcoming executive-branch guidance and progress on ARMA as the next signals of how the U.S. intends to formalize its strategic Bitcoin position. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news