White House: Building a bitcoin reserve remains a priority… delayed by interagency legal process

The White House said building a strategic bitcoin (BTC) reserve remains a priority, attributing the relatively slow pace to interagency legal frictions.

According to Cointelegraph, a cryptocurrency-focused outlet, Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House Crypto Council, said on the “Crypto in America” podcast that “progress is being made toward establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve, but some thorny legal provisions are acting as obstacles.”

Witt added that “it may look straightforward on the surface, but in practice there are complex questions of legal interpretation—such as what one agency cannot do while another can,” and said multiple government bodies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), are discussing the relevant legal and regulatory issues. He stressed, however, that “the matter remains on the list of priorities.”

Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 establishing a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” that includes bitcoin, and a “Digital Asset Stockpile” that includes digital assets such as altcoins. The order stipulates that the U.S. government will not sell the bitcoin it holds and will only add to the reserve bitcoin obtained through asset forfeiture proceedings.

However, the order does not allow additional bitcoin purchases in the open market. Justin Bechler criticized the policy, saying “the belief that the federal government will one day build a true strategic bitcoin reserve is detached from reality,” adding that “there is no concrete purchase plan or will to execute.”