Cassidy-Lummis Bill Targets Chinese Crypto Mining Hardware in New Legislation

Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Cynthia Lummis have introduced legislation to ban US crypto mining operations from using hardware linked to China and other foreign adversaries. The Cassidy-Lummis Mining Bill would force certified mining facilities to phase out equipment sourced from hostile nations, promoting domestic manufacturing and supply chain security.

The bill also codifies President Donald Trump's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, housed within the Treasury Department, as mandated by his 2025 executive order. This reserve was a key campaign promise for Trump in 2024, but recent tariff policies have complicated efforts to bring Bitcoin mining back to American soil due to the reliance on Chinese hardware.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership would assist domestic manufacturers in building secure, energy-efficient mining equipment under the proposal. This move reflects growing concerns about national security risks tied to Chinese mining hardware, as evident from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's recent letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick seeking documents about Beijing-based firm Bitmain Technologies Ltd.