Trump’s Bitcoin reserve can’t buy Bitcoin without Congress, says Witt

A former White House crypto adviser says open-market purchases for the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve need explicit congressional authorization The US has a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. What it doesn’t have is permission to go shopping. Patrick Witt, former executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, said the administration needs explicit authorization from Congress before it can buy Bitcoin on the open market for the reserve. His comments, made during a podcast on November 9, 2026, put a firm legal ceiling on one of the crypto industry’s favorite hopes: the federal government as a steady, deep-pocketed buyer. According to Witt, President Donald Trump is still interested in acquiring Bitcoin for the reserve. The obstacle is a rider attached to the National Defense Authorization Act.

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