Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held an oversight hearing examining America’s critical mineral supply chains and exploring how America’s mineral resources can be unleashed. Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) issued the following statement in response:

“America’s national defense and economic strength depend on reliable access to critical minerals like copper, rare earth elements, lithium and gallium, yet the United States remains dangerously reliant on foreign supply chains dominated by adversaries like China. To protect our national security, we must rapidly expand domestic mining and processing, rebuild resilient supply chains and ensure the United States produces the essential resources needed to power our military, advanced technologies and economy.”

Background

Critical mineral exploration and production are critical components of not only the U.S. economy, but they also play a key role in our domestic, international and national security policy. Long, uncertain and restrictive U.S. permitting processes have reduced America’s competitive edge in mining and processing capacity, despite large domestic reserves. If U.S. policy does not speed up domestic mineral production and processing while also developing allied supply chains, the U.S. will stay vulnerable to price manipulation, export controls and geopolitical pressures that threaten economic and national security. As the role of critical minerals in our daily lives expands, the economic and national security implications of U.S. critical minerals policies are increasing exponentially.

For more information on the hearing, click here.