Senate Passes Romney Bill to Reduce Dependence on China for Critical Minerals

WASHINGTON—The Senate unanimously passed the Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act, bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Gary Peters (D-MI), and James Lankford (R-OK), that would reduce the United States’ reliance on China and adversarial nations for critical minerals. The legislation, which was introduced in June 2023 and passed out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) later that month, now heads to the House for consideration.

Critical minerals and rare earth metals are used to manufacture military equipment and other defense articles, electric vehicle batteries, and other technology that is vital to American economic competitiveness and national security. China is currently the largest source for more than half of the critical minerals on the U.S. Geological Survey’s 2022 list that the United States imports, such as lithium and cobalt. The senators’ bill addresses the threat to our manufacturing supply chains by creating an intergovernmental task force to identify opportunities to increase domestic production and recycling of critical minerals.

“By relying on China for critical minerals, we continue to put our economic and national security at risk,” Senator 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.”

“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,” said Senator 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.” 

“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 Senator Lankford. “We need to prioritize American-produced and made energy solutions and give US suppliers a seat at the table.”  

Background:

The bipartisan Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director to create a task force and appoint representatives from federal agencies who must consult with state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments. The task force will work to determine how to address national security risks associated with America’s critical mineral supply chains and identify new domestic opportunities for mining, processing, refinement, reuse, and recycling of critical minerals. The legislation also requires 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.