Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) and Western Caucus Vice Chair Pete Stauber (MN-08), Chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, released statements on President Trump’s Executive Order to increase American mineral production.
“The United States is blessed with an abundance of mineral resources that could end our reliance on foreign adversarial sources like China,” said Chairman LaMalfa. “The Biden Administration continually caved to radical activists who are hostile to domestic mining, even though it is more ecologically sound. Thankfully, President Trump understands that America has the ability to become mineral self-sufficient and took decisive action to launch a new era for domestic mineral production. Our reliance on foreign adversaries must come to an end. Our rural economies across the nation will reap the rewards. It’s time to mine, baby, mine.”
“For far too long, America has been forced to turn to adversarial nations to meet our critical mineral needs,” said Chairman Westerman. “President Trump is leading us to unleash our domestic mineral wealth and mine right here in America once again. With this executive order, President Trump is bolstering our national and mineral security and ensuring our future is tied to a secure, safe and responsible domestic mineral supply chain.”
“We can no longer tolerate the Chinese Communist Party’s tight grip over the critical minerals needed for American fighter jets, cellphones, lifesaving medical devices, EVs, and so many other products that Americans need and use daily,” said Vice Chair Stauber. “Luckily, President Trump is the most pro-mining President in American history, and this Executive Order demonstrates his eagerness to secure our domestic supply chains and end reliance on foreign adversaries. With this executive order, we are one step closer to making my state of Minnesota, and the entire country not just critical mineral independent, but critical mineral dominant. I thank him for his leadership on this issue.”
Background:
As demand for minerals rises, the United States remains over reliant on foreign sources for many resources. For example, the United States relies completely on imports for at least 15 critical minerals while 70% of American imports of rare earths come from China. The Biden Administration discouraged domestic mining by cancelling long held mineral leases in northern Minnesota, rejecting a permit for the Ambler Access Project in Alaska, delaying a major copper project in Arizona, and other similar actions.
President Trump’s Executive Order aims to increase American mineral production and reduce reliance on foreign minerals sources by:
- Expediting review of mining permitting applications
- Prioritizing mining projects on Federal lands with critical mineral deposits
- Invoking the Defense Production Act to expand mineral production
- Encouraging domestic production by establishing a critical minerals fund at the United States International Development Finance Corporation
