U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commemorated the seventeenth anniversary of the Bitcoin white paper with a pointed message on X, highlighting Bitcoin’s uninterrupted operation and drawing a pointy comparability to the present federal authorities shutdown.
Anniversary message and political jab
On October 31, Bessent posted:
“17 years after the white paper, the Bitcoin community continues to be operational and extra resilient than ever. Bitcoin by no means shuts down. @SenateDems may be taught one thing from that.”
His remarks come because the U.S. authorities endures its second-longest shutdown in historical past, with over 900,000 federal staff furloughed following a funding deadlock attributed to a Democratic filibuster within the Senate.
Bitcoin’s reliability and coverage alerts
Bessent’s feedback underscored the Bitcoin community’s uptime and resilience, which has been a core a part of its enchantment since its launch in 2009.
The anniversary of the white paper is commonly utilized by supporters to emphasise Bitcoin’s independence from centralized management and its steady operation, even throughout weekends and holidays.
The submit ignited debate amongst bitcoin supporters and critics.
Some technical purists, together with Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr, argued that the community is “weaker than ever” because of latest software program disputes.
Others, like asset supervisor James Lavish, interpreted Bessent’s message as a sign of continued dedication by the Trump administration to digital belongings.
Market contributors urged Treasury to accumulate extra bitcoin for the U.S. strategic reserve.
Treasury’s evolving stance
Earlier this 12 months, Bessent described stablecoins as transformative for digital finance and revealed the U.S. is exploring budget-neutral strategies to increase its bitcoin holdings.
President Donald Trump has additionally reiterated plans to make the U.S. the worldwide chief in bitcoin and digital belongings.