Bitcoin reserve bill to consolidate Trump’s tall order found a champion in Nashville.
Summary
- Attorney Matt Van Epps drafted the American Reserve Modernization Act as an extension of Nashville’s growing Bitcoin ecosystem.
- ARMA will lock up legally held Bitcoin for 20 years and authorize the Treasury to receive up to 1 million BTC over five years.
- Van Epps cited the $39 trillion national debt as the main argument for the legislation.
Attorney Matt Van Epps told Bitcoin Magazine that the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 is a direct reflection of what he sees happening in his district. “Nashville is one of the leading Bitcoin hubs in the nation,” Van Epps said, pointing to Bitcoin Park, the city’s digital asset community, and the annual Bitcoin conference returning to Nashville in 2027.
Van Epps is one of the 18 original sponsors of ARMA, which was launched on May 21 by Rep. Nick Begich and fellow Democratic Alliance leader Rep. Jared Golden. The bill would include President Trump’s March 2025 order to establish the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, giving it a permanent legal status that no future administration can undo.
That is what the ARMA bill would do
“With a national debt of $39 trillion, this is important legislation,” Van Epps said. Under ARMA, any sale of Bitcoin in the future will be allowed for one purpose only: to reduce the national debt.
The bill would deposit the money within the US Treasury and authorize the acquisition of up to 200,000 BTC per year for five years, targeting one million coins. All holdings will be locked for at least 20 years. A separate Digital Asset Stockpile will hold non-Bitcoin assets already in federal custody.
As crypto.news reported, ARMA builds on the previous draft of the BITCOIN Act that Begich presented with Senator Cynthia Lummis in March 2025. The US government currently holds an estimated 328,372 BTC collected through the seizure of the law, including money from the seizure of Silk Road and the 2022 Bitfine recovery.
The bill also ensures that the federal government cannot interfere with the legal right of individuals to own, transfer, or hold digital assets. Directs research on budget-neutral strategies to explore ways to increase reserves without raising taxes or spending surpluses.
White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt said at Bitcoin 2026 in late April that a “breakthrough” tied to Bitcoin reserve management plans could come in the coming weeks. The Senate companion version from Senators Lummis and Cassidy includes the same code provision.
