The United States has a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, but explicit congressional authorization may be needed for the government to buy Bitcoin on the open market, Patrick Witt, described in the new material as a former executive director of the White House Crypto Council, said in an interview with What Bitcoin Did. The interview date is given as November 10, 2026, while earlier reporting identified November 9. President Donald Trump remains interested in increasing government holdings, but officials have not settled how to acquire Bitcoin without causing a negative market reaction or exceeding existing spending authority. Witt said the administration wants Congress to codify the reserve because Congress controls appropriations and must determine whether purchases fit the original purpose of available funds. He warned that moving prematurely could prompt lawmakers to add a National Defense Authorization Act provision banning government Bitcoin purchases. Executive Order 14233 established the reserve on March 6, 2025, primarily for Bitcoin obtained through federal forfeitures, and directed Treasury and Commerce to explore cost-neutral acquisition strategies. Government holdings are estimated at 200,000 to 328,000 BTC, mostly from seizures, but have not been fully audited to a high level of accuracy. Witt said past custody practices were seriously inadequate and that stronger infrastructure must precede acquisitions or conversions. Potential routes include repricing government gold, using the Exchange Stabilization Fund, converting other government assets or accepting some receipts in Bitcoin. The American Reserve Modernization Act, H.R. 8957, passed the House Financial Services Committee 28-21 on September 16, 2026, but has not cleared Congress; it would address custody, require a 20-year holding period and mandate annual transparency reporting. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has final authority over the reserve’s future. Witt said Bitcoin also has strategic value for peer-to-peer value transfer, protection against currency debasement and national-security applications, while warning that an executive-order-based reserve could be reversed by a future administration.