U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick recently explained how certain products can reach government agencies without traditional procurement hurdles, and the implications for cryptocurrency are significant. Lutnick described the ‘gratis vendor’ model as an approved supplier that provides goods to the government free of charge, bypassing lengthy approval processes. This approach allows agencies to access technology or services directly, even if purchased at a nominal cost. Lutnick gave the example of providing software freely for the Commerce Department, where he could bypass traditional sales channels. This concept has implications for the future use of XRP in U.S. government systems and its integration into infrastructure projects like payments, compliance, and data security.