U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced during a congressional hearing that the U.S. government will retain Bitcoin acquired through asset forfeiture, but will not direct private banks to increase BTC holdings during market downturns, nor does it have the authority to "bail out Bitcoin." In a discussion with California Representative and crypto critic Brad Sherman, Bessent emphasized that neither he nor the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) has such powers. He revealed that the value of the government's seized Bitcoin has risen from approximately $500 million to over $15 billion.