U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) led 53 of his Republican colleagues in supporting the president’s recent executive order declaring a national emergency to address the United States’ reliance on critical minerals from foreign adversaries.
“Now more than ever, it is vital that we secure our critical mineral supply chain and end our dependence on China for the minerals necessary to maintain our economic and military strength in the 21st Century,” wrote Rep. Reschenthaler and his colleagues in an Oct. 29 letter sent to President Donald Trump.
The president on Sept. 30 signed Executive Order 13953, in which he noted that America “needs critical minerals to make airplanes, computers, cell phones, electricity generation and transmission systems, and advanced electronics.”
“Though these minerals are indispensable to our country, we presently lack the capacity to produce them in processed form in the quantities we need,” according to the order. “American producers depend on foreign countries to supply and process them.”
In a separate statement, Rep. Reschenthaler pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the nation’s need to secure its supply chains and end its dependence on “foreign bad actors” for needed materials.
“I commend President Trump for taking executive action to ensure our economic prosperity and protect national security by encouraging domestic mineral processing,” said Rep. Reschenthaler. “I remain deeply committed to working with the president to get Americans back to work, restore economic growth, and support innovation so we can maintain our economic and military strength in the decades ahead.”
Specifically, Executive Order 13953 authorizes development of a U.S. Department of the Interior program to fund mineral processing that protects U.S. national security, minimizes permitting delays, provides U.S. job opportunities, and improves economic security, according to the document.
“Through this Executive Order, you are once again taking decisive action to put Americans back to work and restore economic growth,” Rep. Reschenthaler and his colleagues wrote. “We stand ready to support you in this and other efforts to shore up our nation’s critical mineral supply chain.”