Speaking at the Executive Order on Addressing the Threat to the Domestic Supply Chain from Reliance on Critical Minerals from Foreign Adversaries, Trump referred to a list of 35 critical minerals identified in a review carried out by the Department of the Interior.
Trump claimed the minerals “are essential to the economic and national security of the United States”, have supply chains that are “vulnerable to disruption” and serve “an essential function in the manufacturing of a product”.
“A strong America cannot be dependent on imports from foreign adversaries for the critical minerals that are increasingly necessary to maintain our economic and military strength in the 21st century,” he added.
According to Trump, the US imports more than half of its annual consumption for 31 of the 35 critical minerals while having no domestic production for 14 of them.
“Whereas the United States recognises the continued importance of cooperation on supply chain issues with international partners and allies, in many cases, the aggressive economic practices of certain non-market foreign producers of critical minerals have destroyed vital mining and manufacturing jobs in the United States,” he emphasised.
Trump believes the US must broadly improve its mining and processing capacity, including minerals that are not regarded as critical or included within the national emergency declared in the order.
“By expanding and strengthening domestic mining and processing capacity today, we guard against the possibility of supply chain disruptions and future attempts by our adversaries or strategic competitors to harm our economy and military readiness,” he continued.
Trump insisted a stronger domestic mining and processing industry fosters a “faster-growing economy” and provide jobs to "hundreds of thousands" of Americans.
A statement released by the White House this week says that the order: “Begins a process for the Department of the Interior to develop a programme to fund mineral processing that protects US national security.”
According to the statement, the action will cut down on unnecessary delays in permitting actions, providing Americans opportunities for jobs while also improving economic and national security.
Through the order, Federal agencies will investigate and work to decrease US reliance on mineral imports.
