Bo Hines, the executive director of the presidential council on digital assets, has reinforced the government’s commitment to establishing a Bitcoin reserve and potential acquisitions.
President Donald Trump has enacted two Executive Orders aimed at creating a regulatory framework for digital assets and launching the nation’s inaugural Bitcoin (BTC) reserve since his inauguration on January 20, fulfilling promises made to the crypto community.
The recent order, issued on March 6, initiates an audit of the nation’s existing BTC holdings, currently estimated at around 200,000 tokens. The order also highlights “budget neutral” strategies for potentially increasing Bitcoin reserves, addressing concerns about impacts on the national deficit.
At an event in New York on March 18, Hines reiterated the administration’s strategy concerning BTC. He emphasized the importance of the U.S. to “have, retain, and build on” its digital gold reserves, given Bitcoin’s reputation as a store of value.
Hines responded to inquiries about the government’s BTC acquisition strategy, stating, “I get asked all the time how much (BTC) do you want. Well, that’s like asking a country how much gold do you want? As much as we can get.”
The U.S. currently holds the largest national Bitcoin reserves, but changes may be on the horizon due to a recent Department of Justice filing. The nation’s Bitcoin collection primarily consists of criminal seizures from incidents such as Silk Road and Bitfinex. If a judge approves a motion to return approximately 95,000 BTC seized from Bitfinex in 2026, the U.S. could lose its position as the leading sovereign BTC holder to China.
