Trump’s Bitcoin Reserve Plan Faces Delays as Treasury and Commerce Fight for Control

Highlights:

• Trump’s Bitcoin reserve plan has slowed as officials review legal authority and agency control.
• Officials are debating whether Treasury or Commerce should manage the proposed federal Bitcoin reserve.
• The White House says the plan remains active while agencies review custody and legal rules.

President Donald Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve plan has slowed as U.S. officials work through legal and agency control questions. Bloomberg reported on Monday that officials are reviewing whether the Treasury Department has clear legal authority to manage the proposed reserve, while the Commerce Department has also emerged as a possible home for the program.

The reserve is part of Trump’s wider crypto policy. On March 6, last year, the White House issued an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile. The order said the Bitcoin reserve would mainly hold BTC already owned by the federal government through completed criminal or civil forfeiture cases.

Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Plan Faces Legal and Bureaucratic Hurdles

According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration’s plan to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve has encountered legal and bureaucratic hurdles. The reserve was originally intended to be managed by the… pic.twitter.com/msuwqtYrDE

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 6, 2026

Officials Debate Who Should Manage the Bitcoin Reserve

The main issue is control. The original order placed major responsibility on the Treasury Department. It directed the Treasury secretary to create an office to manage the Bitcoin reserve and maintain custody accounts for the government’s BTC holdings. It also ordered federal agencies to review whether they could transfer eligible Bitcoin into the reserve.

Bloomberg reported that officials are now discussing whether Treasury can legally hold and manage the reserve on its own. The talks have also moved toward a possible structure under the Commerce Department. Another concern is whether the government can legally hold Bitcoin for an indefinite period, especially because BTC remains a volatile asset.

The issue is not only about where the Bitcoin sits. Government-held crypto can come from different agencies and legal cases. Some assets may need to be returned to victims, used in law enforcement matters, or handled under court orders. The executive order also says government Bitcoin placed into the reserve should not be sold and should be maintained as a reserve asset under applicable law.

BTC Reserve Plan Remains Active Despite Delays

The White House has not dropped the plan. A spokesperson, Liz Huston, said the administration is still evaluating the best structure for the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and the U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile. Bloomberg’s report also said the Treasury and Commerce departments did not immediately provide comments.

The delay follows earlier expectations that the administration could announce more details quickly. In May, White House digital assets adviser Patrick Witt said an update on the reserve was expected in the “next few weeks.” He also said the government was working to inventory, centralize, and secure federal crypto holdings before giving more details about size and structure.

Witt also raised the issue of how long the agencies are allowed to store digital assets and whether Congress needs to grant more power for the reserve. This is the reason why the project is advancing more slowly than anticipated by some crypto enthusiasts.