U.S. Commerce Secretary Pushes Turbocharged Bitcoin Mining Expansion—Because Wall Street Didn’t Get Enough of the Last Bubble

America’s Bitcoin mining sector is about to get a shot of adrenaline—or maybe just another speculative sugar rush. Commerce Secretary Lutnick just confirmed plans to accelerate domestic mining operations, framing it as a ’strategic priority’ for the nation’s energy and tech future.

The Mining Arms Race Heats Up

With China’s crypto crackdown still echoing, the U.S. is doubling down on hashrate dominance. Lutnick’s push could mean tax breaks, grid partnerships, or even federal site approvals—anything to keep those ASICs humming.

Energy or Exuberance?

Critics are already sharpening their knives. ’Nothing says ‘infrastructure’ like burning megawatts to mint digital scarcity,’ quipped one hedge fund analyst—between sips of a $28 oat-milk latte.

Whether this is a masterstroke or just another political HODL remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: the bulls are charging, and Washington’s now holding the leash.

Lutnick announces plans pushing for accelerated Bitcoin mining in America

🇺🇸 US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: "We are going to turbocharge #bitcoin mining in America." pic.twitter.com/RpS02rLbJO

— Altcoin Daily (@AltcoinDailyio) April 28, 2025

According to Lutnick, the Investment Accelerator launched by the Commerce Department was aimed at helping firms that wanted to invest in America get new projects off the ground. He also envisioned the Investment Accelerator as beneficial to Bitcoin mining companies because it made clear to them what regulations they must understand and helped them obtain the necessary permits. 

“We’re going to make it so that if you want to mine Bitcoin and you find the right place to do it, you can build your own power plant next to it.”

–Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce 

Lutnick alluded to the notion that Bitcoin miners could use waste gas to power their operations without necessarily needing to be on the grid. He pointed out that miners were going to put their data centers on top of gas fields and then put a plant right next to them so that they would not be ‘beholden’ to drawing power from the existing grid.

Lutnick suggests viewing Bitcoin as a commodity and not as a currency

The Commerce Secretary also said Bitcoin was a commodity and it should be treated as a commodity like oil or gold. He stated that in treating bitcoin as a commodity, he was likely to consider having the Bureau of Economic Affairs (BEA) employ bitcoin in its calculations the same way it employed gold. 

The BEA currently uses gold to refine and calculate its National Economic Accounts, which includes GDP. The bureau also accounted for gold in trade statistics, recording gold exports and imports as part of its International Transactions Accounts (ITAs). 

Lutnick stressed that the Trump administration had true Bitcoin believers like himself and White House ‘AI and Crypto Czar’ David Sacks, and that he wanted to see Bitcoin thrive in America. He added that the goal was for the Bitcoin industry to figure out how to ‘win in America’ because the current administration planned to help the industry achieve the highest degree of success in the country, an approach that was the polar opposite approach of the previous Biden administration.

According to Lutnick, dealing in Bitcoin under the Biden administration was treated like ‘you were doing something wrong. He, however, pointed out that it was all in the ‘rear view mirror’ and it would ‘never come back.’

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