Is the US Bitcoin strategic reserve facing a cooling period? Legal authority disputes slow down progress

[Bitcoin Magazine] Patrick Witt, head of the White House Cryptocurrency Committee, recently revealed that the U.S. government is actively advancing its Bitcoin strategic reserve plan, but the process has been hindered by some “unusual legal provisions.”

Currently, multiple government agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Office of Legal Counsel, are coordinating internally on the legal authority issues related to this reserve plan. Witt admitted that at first glance, the plan should be straightforward, but in practice, it has become complicated due to differences in statutory authority among agencies. These coordination efforts are still ongoing, but Bitcoin strategic reserves remain one of the current policy priorities.

Tracing back to March 2025, Trump signed an executive order officially launching the “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” and “Digital Asset Reserve Pool” projects. However, this order only allows the Department of Justice to seize Bitcoin into the reserve and does not grant the government the authority to purchase Bitcoin from the open market. This restriction has raised numerous questions within the Bitcoin community.

Despite disagreements at the policy-making level, the U.S. government is actively seeking feasible solutions that comply with regulations without increasing fiscal burdens. Whether this inter-agency legal tug-of-war can ultimately reach an agreement remains to be closely watched.