Toward unleashing domestic minerals production, U.S. Reps. Young Kim (R-CA), Brian Mast (R-FL), and Bill Huizenga (R-MI) on Jan. 13 offered a bipartisan bill that would align U.S. diplomatic, development, and financing tools to secure diversified critical minerals supply chains that would be outside the influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“Critical minerals power everything from our national defense to cutting edge technologies that drive American innovation. We can no longer cede control of the very supply chains that determine our economic competitiveness to the Chinese Communist Party,” Rep. Kim said. “I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort and work alongside the administration as we unleash the next generation of American energy dominance.”
The congresswoman sponsored the Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies (DOMINANCE) Act, H.R. 7037, with 13 original cosponsors, including Reps. Mast and Huizenga and lead original cosponsor U.S. Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA).
Specifically, H.R. 7037 would bolster U.S. and allied critical minerals supply chains while reducing dependence on strategic competitors, including the PRC; formalize U.S. participation and leadership in the Minerals Security Partnership and related international coordination mechanisms; and establish a Bureau of Energy Security and Diplomacy and a Senate-confirmed assistant secretary to lead U.S. international energy and critical minerals diplomacy.
“For too long, China has had a chokehold on the global critical mineral supply chain. This is an unacceptable threat to our economic and national security,” said Rep. Mast, chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. “I am proud to co-sponsor [this bill], which will give the U.S. the tools it needs to end Chinese coercion over these essential resources. This is a must-win for the U.S. and our allies throughout the globe.”
Additionally, the bill would authorize Energy Security Compacts to align tools across agencies, including the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Development Finance Corporation, the Export-Import Bank, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
If enacted, H.R. 7037 also would expand mining and critical minerals education through a new Fulbright fellowship and visiting scholar programs, according to summaries provided by the lawmakers.
Rep. Huizenga pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party controls 92 percent of global rare earth processing, while the U.S. mining workforce faces a 50-percent retirement cliff.
“I am proud to be an original sponsor of the DOMINANCE Act, which includes my bill, the Critical Mineral Mining Educational Act, to transform the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs into a front line for our national security,” said Rep. Huizenga. “By leveraging the Fulbright program to invest in American human capital and allied expertise, we will finally break our reliance on China and secure the talent needed for a resilient, 21st-century supply chain.”
Numerous organizations support the measure, including the American Council for Capital Formation, the American Critical Minerals Association, the Bipartisan Policy Center Action, the Climate Leadership Council, and SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, among others.