White House Crypto Council Head: Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Advancement Restricted by Technical Legal Provisions

According to Cointelegraph, Patrick Witt, head of the White House Cryptocurrency Council, stated that the U.S. is still making progress in establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve, but some "less common legal provisions" are slowing down the process.

Currently, several government agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), are discussing the legal and regulatory authority issues related to the Bitcoin strategic reserve. Witt pointed out that while the arrangements may seem straightforward on the surface, the differences in statutory authority among different agencies complicate the execution process. Related issues are still being coordinated, and the Bitcoin strategic reserve remains a priority in current policy.

Previously, Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 to establish a "strategic Bitcoin reserve" and a "digital asset reserve pool," but the order only allows the inclusion of BTC obtained through judicial forfeiture into the reserve and does not authorize the government to purchase Bitcoin on the open market, which has caused dissatisfaction among some members of the Bitcoin community.

Despite the controversies at the policy level, the U.S. government is still exploring potential implementation paths that are compliant and do not increase the fiscal deficit.