US should fund Bitcoin strategic reserve with tariff surplus: Author

The United States authorities tin acquisition much Bitcoin (BTC) for the US strategical reserve done funneling portions of the tariff receipt surplus into BTC acquisitions, according to Adam Livingston, writer of “The Bitcoin Age and The Great Harvest.”

Livingston proposed taking a information of the surpluses generated by commercialized tariffs each period and funneling that into secure, acold retention BTC that is not traded, staked, sold, rehypothecated, utilized to money programs oregon unafraid loans, oregon lent retired for yield. He said:

“As of July, we've collected $135.7 cardinal successful customs duties — treble past year's pace. Let maine repetition that we're sitting connected a $70 cardinal surplus from tariffs, and we haven't adjacent finished the fiscal year.”

That Surplus is unallocated. It's not pre-spent. It's not tied to Medicare, entitlements, oregon indebtedness service. It's conscionable floating, waiting, looking for a productive usage case, ” Livingston continued.

Cumulative reciepts amusement the US authorities collected astir $136 cardinal successful customs duties done the 2025 fiscal twelvemonth truthful far. Source: US Treasury Department

The connection to money the US Bitcoin strategical reserve with the tariff surplus could beryllium a way for the authorities to bargain much BTC nether US President Trump’s enforcement order, stipulating that further BTC tin lone beryllium acquired done budget-neutral strategies. 

Related: White House crypto study a mixed container for Bitcoin advocates

US Treasury Secretary sends mixed signals connected strategical reserve

Scott Bessent, caput of the United States Treasury Department, said connected Thursday that the US authorities would not beryllium buying immoderate caller BTC for the strategical reserve

“We’re not going to beryllium buying that, but we are going to usage confiscated assets and proceed to physique that up,” Bessent told Fox Business.

However, Bessent backpedaled aboriginal that day, clarifying that the US authorities is still  “exploring budget-neutral pathways” to accruing much of the integer currency.

Several budget-neutral strategies person been proposed, including revaluing the Treasury’s golden holdings, which are presently priced astatine conscionable $42.22 per troy ounce, portion golden trades connected spot markets for astir $3,335 per ounce.

Other budget-neutral avenues see reallocating immoderate of the government’s different existing reserve assets, selling disconnected lipid from the strategical petroleum reserve, for example, to get much BTC.

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