As Rep. Byron Donalds steps up to the plate with his latest legislative swing, the Florida Republican is betting big on bitcoin. The bill, introduced on March 14, 2025, aims to cement Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into permanent law. This isn’t just some minor tweak to policy—it’s a full-on attempt to prevent future administrations from reversing course on crypto.
The legislation builds directly on Trump’s executive order from earlier this month. Pretty convenient timing, right? It would establish a permanent bitcoin stockpile funded initially by Treasury’s already-forfeited bitcoin. And get this—the bill explicitly prohibits selling any bitcoin in the reserve. Uncle Sam becomes a hodler, by law.
Making Uncle Sam a permanent bitcoin hodler—legislation that puts Treasury’s confiscated crypto under lock and legal key.
Trump’s crypto pivot since 2024 has been dramatic, to say the least. Remember when he called bitcoin a “scam”? Now he’s all about making America the “crypto capital of the world.” Politics is weird.
Democrats aren’t thrilled. The bill needs 60 Senate votes to pass, which looks like a steep climb in the current political landscape. Critics are raising eyebrows about tying public finances to such a volatile asset. The White House has previously acknowledged that bitcoin’s price volatility is non-material for long-term holdings. They’re asking: should the government really be picking winners in the crypto space?
The crypto industry, meanwhile, is practically doing backflips. Bitcoin maximalists see this as the ultimate validation. Bitcoin’s price? Yeah, it noticed.
Economic implications could be massive. If the U.S. government becomes a significant bitcoin holder, other countries might follow suit. It’s either brilliant foresight or spectacular folly, depending on who you ask. The bill’s supporters point to bitcoin’s fixed supply as a hedge against inflation, making it particularly attractive for national reserves.
The bill allows “budget-neutral strategies” for acquiring more bitcoin, whatever that means. The proposed legislation aligns with Senator Cynthia Lummis’s efforts to establish a reserve of up to one million BTC. It also creates a separate stockpile for non-bitcoin digital assets, though bitcoin clearly gets preferential treatment.
Will it pass? The odds aren’t great with Democrats still controlling chambers. But the mere existence of this bill signals how mainstream crypto has become in Republican circles. Strange times indeed.
