Key points

  • The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Flip-Flopped in Bitcoin markets first refuses to buy more, then implying the “budgetary” ways to expand its holdings
  • Today’s US Bitcoin Strategic Reserve is mainly based on confiscated bitcoins, avoiding taxpayers’ money
  • The US government is struggling with internal divisions, risking its claim as “superpower Bitcoin”

The US government’s approach to Bitcoin has become a rollercoaster with mixed emotions, leaving investors, economists and even ordinary observers scratching their heads.

On August 14, 2025, Finance Minister Scott Bessent made a huge statement, not once, but twice. First, he said that the federal government would not buy any more bitcoin to expand Bitcoin’s strategic reserve, a move that sent ripples through the encryption market.

A few hours later, he returned, suggesting that the Treasury could investigate “neutral budget roads” to obtain more bitcoin in the end.

Scott said: “Bitcoin, which has finally lost the federal government, will be the foundation of the Bitcoin strategic reserve that President Trump established in his executive order in March. “

This stunning reversal in one day is not only the bureaucratic noise, but it is a symptom of a deeper struggle in the US government on how to handle encryption. Despite progressive regulatory developments, the word of the US government around the Bitcoin reserve put the cryptographic sector in a dilemma.

A reserve built in seizures, not purchases

When President Trump signed the executive provision for the establishment of the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve in March 2025, the plan had a controversial clause addressed to the unification of all bitcoin seized by criminal cases (estimated at 200,000 BTCs) oil.

According to the executive order, taxpayers will not be spent. The reserve will only be developed through disasters.

This approach was proposed as a tax manager, avoiding market manipulation or political reaction. But almost immediately, the cracks appeared in the strategy.

Behind the scenes, the administration was separated. Some officials, such as White House Crypto Bo Hines, prompted the reserve actively expanding, even suggesting the sale of some of the US gold farms to buy Bitcoin.

Others, including more careful voices in the Treasury, resisted, wary of public funds in an unstable asset. The result? A policy caught in the vacuum – it concerned bitcoin as a strategic asset, but did not want to put real money behind it.

The “neutral” gap of budget in the Ministry of Finance

Bessent’s latest comments imply a possible solution. Underlining the “neutral” budget acquisitions, the Treasury could theoretically develop Stash Bitcoin without the approval of Congress or the cost of taxpayers.

How; One option: Accept Bitcoin as a payment for federal debts or fines. Another: Collaboration with private businesses to exchange other assets for Bitcoin. But these ideas remain unclear and skeptics argue that they are just fancy ways of avoiding a real commitment.

The ambiguity has real consequences. When Bessent initially ruled out markets, the price of bitcoin sank. When he walked it back, the market rushed. This volatility emphasizes how much power the US government now holds the encryption markets.

Substance

Critics argue that the Bitcoin strategic reserve is more for politics than the economy. Trump’s administration leaned hard on rhetoric over-cryptocurrency, hosting a “digital assets summit” with industry leaders and regulations behind the sector.

But when it comes to placing federal dollars behind Bitcoin, excitement fades. The July 2025 White House report on digital assets, intended to describe a clear path forward, was apparently lightweight in the details of the future of the reserve.

In the meantime, other countries are not waiting. China holds nearly 194,000 BTCs, Boutan has quietly gathered a 28% stash stash and even Iran uses Bitcoin to bypass sanctions. If the US wants to be the “Bitcoin Superpower” Trump envisions, it will need more than vague promises and seized coins – it will need a real strategy.

The next moves by the Ministry of Finance will determine whether the Bitcoin strategic reserve is a political milestone or a political trick. If Bessent follows the acquisitions of neutral budget, it could signal a new era of state -backed encryption adoption. If not, the reserve is in danger of being a footnote in economic history, which could affect the Bitcoin price.