House Passes Critical Mineral Act to Reduce U.S. Dependence on Chinese Supply Chains

The U.S. was 100% import-dependent for 15 critical minerals in 2025, and net import reliant for 50 of 50 on the federal critical minerals list

China controls roughly 70% of global critical mineral refining capacity — and leads processing for 19 of 20 key strategic minerals

S. 596 would authorize $750 million for the DOE to fund at least 3 domestic critical mineral processing or recycling projects as a pilot program

The U.S. exports approximately 93% of the rare earth elements it mines domestically — then imports them back as finished or refined materials

Opening a new mine in the U.S. takes an average of 29 years from discovery to production — the second-longest permitting timeline in the world