Senate lawmakers reintroduced a trio of bills aimed at easing China’s hold over the world’s critical minerals supply chains.
Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) floated S. 5251, the “Critical Materials Future Act of 2025,” which would task the Department of Energy with supporting at least three domestic mineral refining or recycling projects through a $750 million pilot program.
“American energy independence is a bipartisan goal,” said Hickenlooper. “The U.S. could be a global leader in critical materials, but we need to shore up our domestic supply chains to strengthen our national security.”
Graham said, “China maintains dominant control over critical mineral processing, which poses significant risks to our national security. It’s important for us to build better and more resilient processing capabilities here at home.”
