The White House in its defense-heavy fiscal 2027 budget is asking for a huge funding increase to stockpile and invest in critical mineral projects, while putting far less emphasis on mine safety.
The spending blueprint includes more than $18 billion for the Department of Defense to stockpile minerals like cobalt, graphite and other raw materials needed for defense and technology.
That’s compared to current spending levels of about $2 billion. The White House last year asked for $5.7 million for the stockpile. Congress approved that amount before adding $2 billion through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The funding pitch is part of the Trump administration’s broader plan to jump-start the nation’s control over the raw materials needed for everything from defense to computers, smartphones and energy technology. The budget is peppered with mentions of critical minerals and coal across the Energy, State and Interior departments, as well.
