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Former President Donald Trump Announced a Package of Measures to Strengthen Domestic Production of Minerals Considered Critical, Such as Uranium, Copper, Potash, and Gold. The Strategy Aims to Ensure Greater Autonomy for the United States in Strategic Sectors of the Economy and National Security.
For decades, the United States has depended on China for essential minerals. Now, President Donald Trump wants to change that. Last Thursday, the 20th, the president signed an executive order to strengthen domestic production of critical minerals, such as uranium, copper, potash, and gold.
The measure utilizes the Defense Production Act (DPA), created during the Cold War.
This law allows the government to act quickly on behalf of national security. With this, the president signals that the U.S. dependency on foreign minerals has become a strategic risk.
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“It is imperative for our national security that the United States take immediate action to facilitate domestic mineral production to the maximum extent possible,” says the text of the order.
Cold War Act Returns to Center
The DPA gives the Pentagon authority to protect essential defense sectors. With the new order, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will be able to act in partnership with other government leaders to accelerate mineral production in the country.
The order also directs federal agencies to approve priority projects more quickly. In addition, the Departments of the Interior, Defense, Agriculture, and Energy have been instructed to identify sites for private use in mineral extraction—even on federal land, such as areas under military control.
The goal, according to the government, is to reduce the influence of rival nations in supplying crucial raw materials.
Reaction to Chinese Offensive
The decision came just days after the president previewed the plan during a speech to Congress. At the time, Trump promised “historic actions” to expand domestic mineral production.
China dominates global production of various essential minerals. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 2024 the U.S. imported about 50% of its critical minerals from China. Among the main ones are yttrium, bismuth, antimony, arsenic, and rare earth elements.
In recent months, China has also begun restricting the export of technologies and metals used in electric vehicle production. Gallium and lithium are among the targets. The plan has not yet been finalized, but it worries the U.S. industrial sector.
In February, China responded to tariffs imposed by Trump with the control of exports of five metals: tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, indium, and molybdenum. All are used in defense technologies and clean energy.
Agreement with Ukraine and Energy Emergency
On the same day as the new executive order, Trump revealed plans to sign an agreement with Ukraine involving rare earth minerals. This was the main reason for the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House last month.
Since the beginning of his term, Trump has treated energy and natural resources as a central issue. Shortly after taking office in January, he declared a national energy emergency, citing high energy prices as a threat to the American people.
In the order signed this Thursday, Trump again criticized U.S. environmental regulations, saying that “federal authoritarian regulation has eroded our country’s mineral production.”
It is worth noting that, in 2022, former President Joe Biden also resorted to the same Defense Production Act. At that time, the goal was also to stimulate domestic mining. But Trump’s approach marks a more aggressive and immediate escalation.
The new government strategy seeks to directly confront dependence on China and ensure that the U.S. can control its most sensitive supply chains.
