Mined in America Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- S. 4251
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Energy
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-03-26: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-20T11:03:29Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Mined in America Act of 2026 aims to strengthen U.S. leadership in blockchain and digital asset technologies, particularly Bitcoin mining, by reducing national security risks from mining hardware made by companies linked to foreign adversaries (countries like those defined as "covered nations" in U.S. defense law). It promotes replacing such hardware with equipment from the U.S. or friendly nations through a voluntary certification program and incentives via existing federal programs. It also supports grid stability, AI infrastructure, domestic manufacturing, and a strategic U.S. Bitcoin reserve.
Key Provisions
- Voluntary Certification Program (Sec. 4): Secretary of Commerce establishes the "Mined in America Certification Program" for U.S.- or friendly-nation-based mining facilities (physical sites for proof-of-work mining, where computers solve puzzles to validate blockchain transactions) and mining pools (groups sharing computing power for rewards).
- Eligibility: No ownership/control by foreign adversaries; phased hardware rules—no new purchases from adversaries after 2027, reducing active hardware to 75% (2028), 50% (2029), and 0% (2030); cybersecurity standards; participation in certified pools.
- Certification (valid 2 years, renewable) gives priority access to federal loans, grants, and contracts; public registry; audits and reporting required.
- Federal Program Incentives (Sec. 5): Amends Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantees, infrastructure reinvestment, and smart grid grants, plus USDA's Rural Energy for America Program, to prioritize certified projects replacing adversary hardware with U.S./friendly compute infrastructure (e.g., for AI training, grid-responsive operations that adjust power use to help electricity grids).
- Tax Relief for Bitcoin Sales (Sec. 6): Exempts capital gains tax for certified miners selling "qualified Bitcoin" (newly mined or from certified pools) to the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
- Studies and Support (Secs. 7-9):
- DOE study on mining/compute for grid load management (demand response: adjusting power use based on grid needs).
- Joint DoD-Commerce study on decentralized AI over blockchains.
- NIST grants/technical aid for secure, energy-efficient U.S. mining hardware; manufacturing extension support.
- Exports and Reserve (Secs. 10-11): Promotes U.S. mining equipment exports to friendly nations; codifies Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (using forfeited Bitcoin) and Digital Asset Stockpile; allows Treasury to generate yield (rewards) from stockpile assets to buy more Bitcoin without taxpayer cost; enables direct purchases of "mined Bitcoin" (verifiable via blockchain history) from certified sellers.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Energy Programs: Adds certified mining/compute projects to DOE Title XVII loans (42 U.S.C. 16513), Infrastructure Reinvestment (42 U.S.C. 16517), Smart Grid grants (42 U.S.C. 17386); expands USDA rural energy program (7 U.S.C. 8107) for certified rural compute.
- Tax Code: Inserts new Sec. 139M in Internal Revenue Code (before Sec. 140) for Bitcoin sale exemptions.
- Treasury Law: Adds Sec. 334 to Title 31 U.S.C. (subchapter II, ch. 3) establishing Bitcoin Reserve/Stockpile rules, yield authority, and acquisition standards.
- No new regulations on digital asset markets; certifications don't override other laws.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Commerce manages certification/registry (rules within 180 days); DOE/Energy Secretary issues implementation rules; Treasury gains Bitcoin acquisition tools; increased coordination on grid/AI/national security.
- Citizens/Businesses: Incentives for miners to upgrade hardware, convert facilities for AI/grid use (jobs in rural areas, local hiring required); tax breaks encourage selling Bitcoin to U.S.; boosts domestic manufacturing.
- International Relations: Strengthens ties with "friendly nations" (non-adversaries designated by State Dept.) via exports/certification; reduces reliance on adversaries (e.g., China-linked hardware), enhancing U.S. supply chain security.
- Broader: Improves grid resilience via flexible compute; supports AI growth; builds Bitcoin reserve without new spending.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Bitcoin Miners and Pools: Must certify for federal benefits; phased hardware replacement.
- U.S. Manufacturers: Aid for energy-efficient hardware production/export.
- Rural Communities: New grants/loans for compute facilities, job creation.
- Federal Agencies: Commerce (certification), DOE (loans/grants/studies), Treasury (reserve), USDA (rural program), NIST (tech support), DoD (AI study).
- Grid Operators/Utilities: Benefits from demand-responsive infrastructure.
- AI/Tech Firms: Opportunities to repurpose mining sites.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- National Security Focus: Addresses blockchain vulnerabilities without broad crypto regulation (explicit "rule of construction" limits authority).
- Property/Tax: Capital gains exemption and reserve protections treat Bitcoin as strategic asset; blockchain-only verification respects decentralization.
- Voluntary/Flexible: No mandates; uses existing programs to avoid new spending/appropriations.
- Codification: Makes permanent Executive Order 14233's Bitcoin Reserve/Stockpile, signaling bipartisan strategic priority (introduced by Sens. Cassidy/Lummis).
- FOIA Exemption: Protects proprietary data in registry, balancing transparency with business confidentiality.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (2)
Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY], Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
Recent Actions
- 2026-03-26: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 2026-03-26: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Mined in America Act of 2026 — issued 2026-03-26 — PDF (46 pages)