The Trump administration could do a larger number of mining deals across the globe if a long-awaited defense bill passes in the coming days, a senior federal official said Monday.
Work could expand to countries like Chile and Canada with passage of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which would reauthorize the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., or DFC, through 2031 and allow it to work in a larger array of countries, said Tom Haslett, the agency’s director of critical minerals and energy policy.
The Senate is expected to pass the NDAA before the end of the week. From there, it would head to President Donald Trump’s desk.
“I hope it means we get a lot busier,” Haslett said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies’ conference in Washington.
