Bipartisan House members are pushing to keep the State Department at the forefront of a global, Biden-era critical minerals initiative meant to counter China.
Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of California and Republican Reps. James Moylan of Guam and Young Kim of California on Tuesday unveiled the “Minerals Security Partnership Authorization Act,” which would task the State Department with leading U.S. participation in the Minerals Security Partnership, or MSP.
The bill would set aside $75 million for the effort — as opposed to relying on State Department annual appropriations — and lays out guardrails around human rights and environmental standards.
President Donald Trump has moved to slash hundreds of positions at the State Department and cut funding while slapping tariffs on allies and trading partners.
