US government might use tariffs to buy bitcoin

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

A mandate in Donald Trumps executive order establishing the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (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 Presidents 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 Treasurys statutorily priced gold certificates.

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

Tariff revenue could fund bitcoin purchases

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 Trumps pledge to avoid using taxpayer funds.

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