Congress Sends President Trump Resolution to Help Reduce Dependence on China for Critical Minerals

Last Thursday, the Senate passed H.J.Res.140, a resolution of disapproval on a Biden-era ban on mining in Minnesota. The resolution had previously passed the House in January and now goes to President Trump for his signature. The Trump administration has already expressed its strong support for H.J.Res.140, stating that “[i]f this bill were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign it into law.”

As we’ve written before, a crucial component of American national security is continuing access to critical minerals, which are at high risk of supply chain disruption and serve essential functions in the manufacturing of advanced products. In order to ensure that the United States does not become dependent on foreign adversaries for access to critical minerals, we must identify and develop domestic resources that will allow us to strengthen our own supply chains. H.J.Res.140 would do just that by lifting the ban on mining in Minnesota and allowing domestic critical minerals projects to move forward with regular state and federal permitting processes.

Joe Biden’s Mining Ban Increased U.S. Dependence on China for Critical Minerals

Under the Biden administration, former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in 2023 issued Public Land Order No. 7917, which withdrew more than 225,000 acres of National Forest System lands in Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis counties, Minnesota, from mineral and geothermal leasing for a period of 20 years. The lands withdrawn from mineral leasing include the Duluth Complex, which according to Professor Jim Miller from the University of Minnesota Duluth constitute the largest undeveloped copper-nickel resource on earth. The Duluth Complex was calculated to contain 139 billion pounds of copper equivalent. 

Both copper and nickel are considered critical minerals by the U.S. Geological Survey, with copper having just been added to the list in 2025. For copper, a substantial projected shortfall in the coming years combined with China’s aggressive investments in securing control over the world supply of rare earth and critical minerals means that the U.S. is at risk of becoming dependent on a foreign adversary if we fail to cultivate our own domestic deposits. 

Signing H.J.Res.140 Would Open Up U.S. Domestic Critical Minerals Resources

Fortunately, we are on the cusp of a critical minerals win when President Trump signs H.J.Res.140 and lifts the mining ban on National Forest Systems lands in Minnesota. Crucially, lifting the ban on mining does not mean that mining projects bypass regular permitting procedures. On the contrary, any potential projects are still subject to federal and state permitting, including the submission of an environmental impact statement (EIS). For example, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:

“All mining projects in Minnesota must obtain various air and water permits or certifications from the MPCA (in addition to several other permits from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) in order to operate. Only after the company submits a formal proposal to state and federal agencies, can the environmental review and permitting processes begin. New mining projects can take several years to complete environmental review and obtain all of the necessary permits and approvals before construction can begin. For new projects, the public is afforded multiple opportunities to provide input and comment during the review and permitting processes. There is additional opportunity for public involvement when the MPCA permits come up for reissuance, usually after a period of five years, or a major amendment.” 

What H.J.Res.140 does, however, is reverse the Biden administration’s unilateral decision to lock away U.S. critical mineral resources. Finally allowing for the responsible development of domestic critical minerals like copper and nickel will help wean the U.S. off of potentially fraught international supply chains. 

Ending the Minnesota Mining Ban Would Be Yet Another Win for President Trump’s Energy and National Security Agenda

In his second term, President Trump has made American energy and national security a centerpiece of his policy agenda. Just this week, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer pitched allies on the idea of paying more for critical minerals sourced outside of China – an idea he termed a “national security premium” that would be the cost of having a secure supply chain not subject to the whims of a foreign adversary. This builds upon the concept of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE) that Vice President JD Vance proposed in February to establish price floors for critical minerals to counter China’s flooding of the global markets in order to undercut competition. 

So far this term, President Trump has worked to establish American critical minerals security through: creating the National Energy Dominance Council; issuing an executive order to boost financing and easing regulatory hurdles for domestic mineral production; issuing an executive order to jumpstart the exploration and control of offshore critical minerals and resources; and introducing Project Vault, a public-private critical mineral reserve for American businesses. Signing H.J.Res.140 would be a win for the President’s energy security agenda and help prepare the country to become less reliant on critical mineral supply chains that could be exploited by adversarial actors at any moment.