Trump Administration Could Use Tariff Revenue to Buy Bitcoin (BTC)

According to a Trump Administration official, it’s legally possible for the US government to use tariff revenue to buy bitcoin (BTC).

The Trump administration is considering using tariff revenue to buy bitcoin (BTC) and build up the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR), according to a report by Blockware.

A mandate in Donald Trump’s executive order establishing the SBR said that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “shall develop strategies for acquiring additional Government BTC provided that such strategies are budget neutral and do not impose incremental costs on United States taxpayers.”

One of these strategies could be tariff revenue, according to Bo Hines, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets.

Indeed, in a White House interview with Anthony Pompliano, Hines said he was looking to present “creative” strategies to Bessent and Lutnick that “left no stone unturned,” including tariff revenues or the revaluation of Treasury’s statutorily priced gold certificates.

Hines reiterated that his team’s goal is to acquire “as much BTC as we can get” for the American public and to maintain those holdings for the long term.

Trump ordered his treasury and commerce secretaries to develop strategies for acquiring BTC at a sovereign level. Therefore, the only question is how — not if — the two men will propose additional purchases.

The use of tariff revenue is potentially attractive because it aligns with Trump’s pledge to avoid using taxpayer funds.

Of course, interagency collaboration on the exact proposal will continue, with the Commerce Department, President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, and Treasury working together to ensure any acquisition strategy is legal, budget-neutral, and politically viable.