The House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to mark up the American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 on September 16, 2026. If approved, the bill would advance to the full House, making it the most concrete legislative step yet toward establishing Bitcoin as a permanent part of the federal balance sheet. Known as ARMA, or H.R. 8957, the legislation was introduced on May 21, 2026, by Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) and co-led by Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME). It has drawn more than 20 bipartisan co-sponsors. ARMA would consolidate all Bitcoin held by the federal government, most of which was obtained through civil and criminal asset forfeitures, into a centralized treasury account. The reserve would be subject to a mandatory 20-year holding period, preventing the government from selling, trading or otherwise liquidating the Bitcoin during that period. Quarterly public Proof-of-Reserve audits (cryptographic checks of asset holdings) and third-party audits would be required, allowing independent verification through a blockchain explorer. The bill bars new taxes, government borrowing and deficit spending from financing the reserve; only Bitcoin already lawfully seized by federal authorities could be added. It would also create a separate Digital Asset Stockpile for non-Bitcoin digital assets held by the government and explicitly reinforce private digital-asset ownership rights. ARMA follows President Trump's March 6, 2025, executive order establishing the initial framework for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The federal government reportedly holds hundreds of thousands of Bitcoin from law-enforcement actions. Whereas agencies including the US Marshals Service historically auctioned seized crypto, ARMA would end those Bitcoin sales and replace them with a 20-year holding strategy.