U.S. aims 5% Bitcoin reserve

Marc Friedrich said in an X post on May 21 that the United States is aiming for a Bitcoin reserve equal to 5% of total supply, a claim that spread quickly through crypto accounts online. The number he cited — about 1.05 million Bitcoin — is close to a target already embedded in U.S. legislation proposed this year. Official U.S. policy, however, is narrower than that claim. President Donald Trump’s March 6, 2025 executive order created a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve using Bitcoin already held by the government through forfeitures, not a standing mandate to buy 5% of all Bitcoin. ### Where does the 5% number come from? Rep. Nick Begich of Alaska said in March 2025 that his BITCOIN Act would set a goal of the United States acquiring about 5% of Bitcoin’s total supply. A press release on Begich’s House website said the bill would authorize the Treasury Department to buy 200,000 Bitcoin per year for five years, reaching about 1 million Bitcoin in total. (whitehouse.gov) Sen. Cynthia Lummis has backed the same reserve concept on the Senate side, according to Begich’s release. That means Friedrich’s 5% figure aligns with the congressional proposal, rather than with the White House order now in force. ### What did the White House actually order? The White House said on March 6, 2025 that the United States would establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate Digital Asset Stockpile. (begich.house.gov) The order said the reserve would be capitalized with Bitcoin already held by the Treasury from criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings or civil money penalties. The same order said government Bitcoin placed in the reserve “shall not be sold” and would be maintained as reserve assets of the United States. It also directed agencies to review whether Bitcoin they held could be transferred into the reserve. The text did not set a 5% acquisition target and did not itself order open-market purchases on the scale described in Friedrich’s post. (whitehouse.gov) ### Does the current policy authorize the U.S. to buy more Bitcoin? The White House order said the Treasury and Commerce secretaries could develop budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional Bitcoin, provided those strategies imposed no incremental costs on American taxpayers. That is different from a statutory purchase program with a fixed accumulation target. (whitehouse.gov) Begich’s bill goes further. His office said the legislation would codify Trump’s executive order but also add a purchase program aimed at approximately 5% of total Bitcoin supply and a minimum 20-year holding period for government-held Bitcoin. ### Is 1.05 million BTC the right math? (whitehouse.gov) The White House order says Bitcoin’s total supply is capped at 21 million coins. Five percent of 21 million is 1.05 million. Begich’s release rounds that target to 1 million Bitcoin, which is the figure used in the bill summary published by his office. (begich.house.gov) That makes Friedrich’s arithmetic broadly consistent with the legislative proposal, even though the official reserve established by executive order was framed around existing government holdings rather than an immediate plan to buy 1.05 million Bitcoin. ### What should readers watch next? (whitehouse.gov) Congress is the next place to watch. Begich’s March 2025 release says the BITCOIN Act would be the vehicle for turning the executive order into a broader reserve program with purchases and a long holding requirement. Until legislation authorizes that step, the clearest verified U.S. policy remains the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve created by the March 6, 2025 White House order. (whitehouse.gov)