Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on the importance of U.S. mineral security and the ways the U.S. can work to establish secure domestic mineral supply chains. Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) issued the following statement in response:

"As the Chinese Communist Party continues to block exports of important critical minerals necessary for our strategic national security, it is clearer than ever that the U.S. must act decisively to secure our own critical mineral future. While the United States is blessed with many mineral deposits, our burdensome permitting process and policies implemented by previous anti-mining administrations have kept these critical minerals in the ground. During today’s hearing, we took a deep dive into the policy changes that Congress must make if we are to successfully secure our critical mineral supply chains. I appreciate our discussion and the takeaway is simple: if we don’t control our critical mineral future, China will."

Background

Minerals are essential to the U.S. economy, playing a role in civilian and military applications. In 2023, industries in the United States consumed mineral materials valued at an estimated $3.84 trillion, a six percent increase from 2022. Despite this growth, the U.S. remains heavily dependent on hostile nations for many critical minerals, posing a serious national security threat.

On December 20, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13817, titled “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals.” This directive tasked the Department of the Interior, in coordination with other federal agencies, with publishing the Critical Minerals List (CML) to identify minerals essential to national security and economic prosperity.

On day one of his second term, President Trump further prioritized these efforts by issuing Executive Order 14154, “Unleashing American Energy.” This directive called for federal agencies to revise and rescind policies that hinder domestic mining and processing capacity.

To address these issues, House Republicans included an entire title on mining in H.R.1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which passed last Congress by a vote of 225-204.

Today's hearing featured testimony from industry experts and scientists on the current state of U.S. critical mineral supply chains. Members explored ways to enhance domestic mining and reduce reliance on foreign sources. To learn more, click here.