MARA CEO Urges U.S. Government to Start Bitcoin Mining for Strategic Reserve Development

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump may fulfill its promises of establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) by initiating the mining of the first cryptocurrency. This was stated by MARA CEO Fred Thiel, as reported by [CoinDesk](https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/05/27/maras-fred-thiel-says-us-should-start-mining-bitcoin-to-fill-strategic-reserve).

*“The announcement about the SBR will ring hollow if it’s not actually funded,”* emphasized the executive.

According to him, this approach aligns with the “budget-neutral” strategy for acquiring coins outlined in Trump’s directive. Excess hydroelectric power could be utilized for this purpose.

Currently, the approved plan involves storing bitcoins seized by the Treasury as part of criminal and civil cases. The sale of cryptocurrency from this pool is prohibited.

Matthew Sigel, head of digital asset research at VanEck, suggested introducing mining royalties as a method to replenish the SBR. In this scenario, revenues would come from bitcoin-related companies rather than taxpayers.

Under this concept, energy producers burning or flaring methane could set up mobile installations for data centers, earning rewards for mined blocks and being exempt from income tax.

Mining firms could then direct a portion of their coins to the Treasury’s SBR wallet.

The executive believes this model would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify bitcoin reserves without incurring costs to the federal government.

Sigel urged Congress members to include these provisions in legislation related to energy, defense, and appropriations. He referenced federal royalties on oil and gas as an example of tying revenues to extractive activities.

Another proposal from a VanEck representative involved allocating $100 million from the [Exchange Stabilization Fund](https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/05/27/maras-fred-thiel-says-us-should-start-mining-bitcoin-to-fill-strategic-reserve) to support the SBR. The expert acknowledged that such an initiative would likely face opposition from Democrats like Elizabeth Warren.

On May 28, the crypto firm K33, listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market, secured SEK 60 million (approximately $6.2 million) to purchase bitcoin as a treasury asset, which the company plans to use for lending, among other purposes.

Bin Saqib, special assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan for blockchain and cryptocurrencies, announced that Islamabad would establish its own strategic bitcoin reserve, inspired by the U.S. initiative.

On March 11, Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced an updated version of the Bitcoin Act in the U.S. Senate, allowing the government to hold over 1 million BTC as part of a cryptocurrency reserve.

The document indicates that the U.S. would purchase 200,000 BTC annually over five years by reallocating current funds from the Federal Reserve and Treasury. The revised proposal allows for the accumulation of coins through legitimate means, including seizures, donations, or transfers from federal agencies.

On May 28, Donald Trump’s special advisor on AI and cryptocurrencies, David Sachs, mentioned that the government would consider acquiring new bitcoins if it can do so without imposing new taxes or increasing national debt. He noted that such a scenario could be feasible through the reallocation of already designated resources.

It’s worth recalling that in January, the MARA CEO mentioned the company’s efforts to lobby for the launch of the SBR across all 50 states and the federal government.

To date, the initiative has garnered support in [Texas](https://forklog.com/news/v-tehase-podderzhali-sozdanie-bitkoin-rezerva), [New Hampshire](https://forklog.com/news/nyu-gempshir-pervym-iz-shtatov-ssha-prinyal-zakon-o-bitkoin-rezerve), and [Arizona](https://forklog.com/news/arizona-stala-vtorym-shtatom-ssha-s-zakonom-o-kriptorezeve). In states like [Oklahoma](https://forklog.com/news/v-oklahome-otklonili-ideyu-sozdaniya-bitkoin-rezerva), Montana, Pennsylvania, North and South Dakota, as well as Wyoming, attempts to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve have also [failed](https://forklog.com/news/palata-predstavitelej-montany-otklonila-zakonoproekt-o-bitkoin-rezerve).