VanEck proposes mining royalty to fill US strategic Bitcoin reserve in a budget-neutral way

VanEck head of digital assets research Matthew Sigel called on US lawmakers to attach a royalty to domestic Bitcoin (BTC) mining so the federal government can accumulate BTC for its strategic reserve. 

Speaking during a policy panel at the 2025 Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas on May 27, Sigel said the reserve can grow through two main channels in his perspective. 

He explained that one option is executive action, which points to the Exchange Stabilization Fund as a vehicle for an initial $100 million allocation. However, Sigel warned that any larger purchase “is gonna get sued by the Elizabeth Warrens of the world.” 

Meanwhile, the second and more durable path would involve inserting funding language into Congress’s annual budget-reconciliation process, which requires only 51 votes in the Senate.

Beyond direct allocations, Sigel told the audience that Congress should “put small amendments in every bill” requiring miners to transfer a slice of block rewards to the Treasury.

His remarks come amid heightened discussions about creating a tax-neutral way to fund a BTC reserve after President Donald Trump’s March 6 executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile. 

The order directs Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to expand federal holdings without new taxpayer spending.

Mining-royalty system

According to Sigel, mining royalties would satisfy the mandate because miners, not taxpayers, would supply the coins.

He framed the idea as a way to “clean up the environment and accumulate a Bitcoin stack at the same time,” arguing that miners who convert waste methane into electricity deserve tax relief while Washington receives a royalty.

Under this outline, energy producers that flare or vent methane could install mobile data-center rigs, route the gas into generators, and earn block rewards free of income tax. Miners would forward an agreed-upon percentage, Sigel suggested single digits, directly to the Treasury’s reserve wallet.

According to Sigel, the model reduces greenhouse gas emissions and diversifies national reserves without federal outlays. He further argued that pilot programs could refine royalty rates and compliance rules.

Legislative road map

Sigel called for bipartisan co-sponsors to embed royalty language in energy, defense, and appropriations bills. 

He cited federal oil-and-gas royalties as precedent for attaching revenue riders to extraction activities.

He also urged state officials who regulate flaring to accelerate permits for miners that sign federal royalty contracts, mirroring existing tax holidays for data centers and renewable-power projects.

Sigel closed by saying swift legislative work could let the US “stack sats” within current fiscal limits and position the reserve for the next budget cycle.

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