(AmericanProsperity.com) – President Donald Trump has invoked wartime powers to carry out a critical mission: secure America’s mineral independence through increased domestic production of critical minerals.
Specifically, the president signed an executive order to break free from China’s stranglehold on essential resources.
Said resources are needed for everything from high-tech defense systems to everyday electronics, positioning the U.S. to regain control of its industrial and military supply chains.
President Trump’s executive order will use the Defense Production Act to speed up mining project permits and prioritize mineral production on federal lands.
This decisive move comes as China has increasingly weaponized its dominance in critical minerals, implementing export controls on materials essential to American manufacturing and defense.
The United States currently depends on foreign countries for at least 15 critical minerals, with a staggering 70% of rare earth imports coming from China.
This dangerous reliance has created a national security vulnerability that the Trump administration is now addressing head-on.
The executive order creates a powerful partnership between the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the Department of Defense to finance new mineral production projects.
This collaboration will ensure stable supplies of uranium, copper, potash, gold, and potentially coal, breaking America’s dependence on hostile foreign powers.
“Our national and economic security are now acutely threatened by our reliance upon hostile foreign powers’ mineral production,” the executive order reads.
President Trump’s directive defines “mineral” broadly, covering critical minerals, uranium, copper, potash, gold, and other resources as determined by the National Energy Dominance Council.
This thorough approach ensures America will have access to all the raw materials needed to fuel economic growth and military readiness.
The administration is not limiting its strategy to domestic production. It is also pursuing international agreements to secure critical minerals in resource-rich regions, including Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Trump has even expressed an interest in exploring Greenland’s valuable rare earth deposits.
“We’re also signing agreements in various locations to unlock rare earths and minerals and lots of other things all over the world, but in particular Ukraine,” the president said.
This executive action delivers on President Trump’s promise made during his Joint Address to Congress.
There, he announced plans to take “historic action to dramatically expand production” of these essential materials.
The order creates immediate pathways for American companies to begin extraction by stripping away regulatory roadblocks and directing federal agencies to identify suitable sites for mineral production on federal lands.
Originally used in the 1950s during the Korean War, the Defense Production Act gives the president extraordinary powers to ensure America can produce vital materials during national emergencies.
By invoking this authority, President Trump has signaled that America’s mineral dependency constitutes such an emergency, requiring immediate action.
“It is imperative for our national security that the United States take immediate action to facilitate domestic mineral production to the maximum possible extent,” the executive order declares.
With this bold move, President Trump has once again demonstrated his America First approach to governance.
He is on the path to securing the nation’s industrial base, strengthening military readiness, and ensuring that American workers and companies have the resources they need to compete and win on the global stage.
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