In a rare acknowledgment from a top U.S. official, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly praised the Bitcoin network’s resilience and reliability, marking the 17th anniversary of the publication of the Bitcoin white paper.
Posting on X, Bessent wrote:
“17 years after the white paper, the Bitcoin network is still operational and more resilient than ever. Bitcoin never shuts down.”
He went on to add that “Senate Democrats could learn something from that,” a pointed remark that has quickly gone viral among the crypto community, drawing over 19,000 views within hours.
17 years after the white paper, the Bitcoin network is still operational and more resilient than ever. Bitcoin never shuts down.@SenateDems could learn something from that.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) October 31, 2025
Bitcoin’s Track Record: 17 Years Without Downtime
Bessent’s comments come as Bitcoin continues to operate without a single day of network downtime since its genesis block in 2009, a record unmatched by any traditional financial infrastructure.
The Treasury Secretary’s acknowledgment highlights Bitcoin’s evolution from a niche digital experiment into a global monetary system, now powering trillions in annual transactions and serving as a core holding for both institutional investors and national treasuries.
His remark also subtly contrasts Bitcoin’s decentralized reliability with the challenges faced by conventional financial systems, which have seen repeated outages, cybersecurity issues, and reliance on centralized intermediaries.
Political Undercurrents and Market Reaction
While Bessent’s statement stops short of formal policy support, his phrasing, especially the comparison to Senate inefficiency, underscores growing bipartisan recognition of blockchain’s resilience as a technological framework.
Crypto advocates quickly seized on the post, framing it as a historic shift in tone from the U.S. Treasury, traditionally known for cautious or critical commentary on digital assets.
Market observers noted a mild positive sentiment in trading activity following the statement, with Bitcoin hovering near $109,000, as traders interpreted Bessent’s words as a symbolic nod to Bitcoin’s legitimacy within U.S. financial discourse.
