Senate Passes Lankford’s Bill to Reduce Dependence on China and Other Adversarial Nations for Critical Minerals

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK —The Senate passed legislation authored by Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) to reduce American reliance on China and other adversarial nations for critical minerals.

“The United States should not depend on communist China to keep our critical mineral supply chain running. Relying on China for critical minerals means relying on our adversary for batteries, medical supplies, and military equipment,” said Lankford. “We need to prioritize American-produced energy solutions and give US suppliers a seat at the table.”   

“America must reduce its reliance on China and other adversaries for critical minerals and rare earth metals in order to stay competitive on the global economic stage —especially when it comes to the future of electric vehicles and the auto industry,” said Peters. “Our nation’s dependence on foreign sources for these materials creates a serious threat to our national and economic security. My bipartisan legislation will mitigate this growing threat by strengthening our domestic supply chain and creating more good paying jobs here at home.”  

“By relying on China for critical minerals, we continue to put our economic and national security at risk,” Romney said. “Today’s passage of our legislation is a strong step in the right direction to shore up our supply chains and bolster production of critical minerals here in the United States. I hope to see it passed by the House and signed into law by the President soon.” 

Critical minerals and rare earth metals are used to manufacture electric vehicle batteries, military equipment, and other technology that is vital to American economic competitiveness and homeland security. China remains the largest source for more than half of the critical minerals on the US Geological Survey’s 2022 list that the United States imports, such as lithium and cobalt. The Senators’ bill would address this threat to our manufacturing supply chains by creating an intergovernmental task force to identify opportunities to increase domestic production and recycling of critical minerals. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.  

The Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act creates a presidential task force with representatives from federal agencies who must consult with state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to determine how to address national security risks associated with America’s critical mineral supply chains. The task force will also identify new domestic opportunities for mining, processing, refinement, reuse, and recycling of critical minerals. The legislation would also require the task force to publish a report to Congress and publish findings, guidelines, and recommendations to combat the United States’ reliance on China and other foreign nations for critical minerals.  

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