A top Senate Democrat is warning that confusion and discrepancies loom over President Donald Trump’s mineral deals with countries like Indonesia ahead of the White House’s Friday trade deadline.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada in a letter to Trump’s top trade official on Thursday said Indonesian officials appear to be refuting White House assertions the country will raise restrictions on critical minerals, throwing into question the president’s assertions around his success in hammering out trade deals.
The White House asserted in a fact sheet that Indonesia would lift a ban on mineral exports as a condition of $50 billion deal that Trump forged with the nation’s leaders. The announcement was significant given Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of nickel, a key ingredient in stainless steel, alloys and electric vehicle batteries. Today, the U.S. has just one operating nickel mine in Michigan.
“Indonesian officials are now saying that they made no such commitment,” Cortez told U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
