The U.S. Senate Can Help Reduce Our Dependence on China for Critical Minerals
The United States currently depends on adversaries like China to supply minerals that are critical to national security and future technologies.
There is bipartisan support for developing critical mineral resources in America.
In former President Joe Biden’s administration, he unilaterally enacted unprecedented restrictions against developing American minerals.
Congress can reverse this decision with a simple majority vote.
The Senate must act soon to secure our economic and military independence.
If they do nothing, America’s future will be at the mercy of China.
One of the most important determinants of national security for the United States today is continuing access to critical minerals, which are resources that are key components in the manufacturing of products like advanced electronics and defense technology. Because the supply chain of critical minerals is especially vulnerable to disruption and they serve essential functions in the nation’s economic and security interests, any threat to their supply can have devastating effects on the U.S.
This combination of factors heightens the very real threat from relying on a foreign adversary like China, who can substantially disrupt U.S. supply through export controls and by flooding the market to eliminate competition before ratcheting up prices. As part of any comprehensive plan to ensure access to critical minerals, the United States must identify and develop domestic resources that will wean us off of dependence on foreign adversaries. One such opportunity is within reach: the United States Senate must pass House Joint Resolution 140 to lift the mining ban in Minnesota and allow the regular state and federal permitting processes to move forward.
The Biden-Era Ban on Mining in Minnesota Makes the U.S. More Dependent on China for Critical Minerals
Although former President Joe Biden’s administration ostensibly recognized the need to strengthen our critical minerals supply chain, many of the decisions made by the administration ran counter to that stated goal. In January 2023, his Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order (PLO) 7917 to withdraw more than 225,000 acres of land from Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis counties in Minnesota from mineral leasing for a 20-year period, in part to boost “the local recreation economy.” These lands encompass the Duluth Complex in northeastern Minnesota, which contains the largest known undeveloped copper-nickel deposit in the world.
Both of these elements are considered critical minerals by the U.S. Geological Survey. Among its many uses, copper is crucial to electrical power transmission and generation, telecommunications, and defense, while nickel is used in stainless steel, superalloys for the aerospace industry and combustion turbines, and in rechargeable batteries. For copper in particular, rising global demand and declining ore grades from existing mines has led to a substantial projected shortfall. According to a recent S&P Global analysis, the world could face “a potential 10 million metric ton copper shortfall by 2040 without meaningful supply expansion.” Meanwhile, since 2023 China has reportedly spent over $120 billion to lock in dominance over the global supply of rare earth and critical minerals. Without a steadfast commitment to opening up new avenues to meet our demand, we risk remaining dependent on China, a foreign adversary who could cut off U.S. supply chains at any point to further their own geopolitical goals.
The Senate Has a Chance to Reduce Our Dependence on China by Passing H.J.Res.140
Fortunately, the United States Senate now has a chance to reverse the Biden-era ban on mining in Minnesota using the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a limited tool available to Congress to overturn federal agency rules that allows for special “fast track” procedures for Senate consideration. According to the Congressional Research Service, “[i]n order to be eligible for the ‘fast track’ procedures for Senate consideration, that body has to act on a properly introduced disapproval resolution during a period of 60 days of Senate session that begins when the rule is received by Congress and published in the Federal Register (if it is required to be published).”
Because of the Biden administration’s failure to properly notify Congress when PLO 7917 was issued in January 2023, the Trump administration transmitted the report on PLO 7917 to the Office of the President of the Senate and to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on January 7, 2026.
Representative Pete Stauber (R, MN-8) introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval – H.J.Res.140 – on January 12, 2026.
H.J.Res.140 passed the House by a vote of 214-208 on January 21, 2026.
H.J.Res.140 was received in the Senate on January 26, 2026.
Now with a simple majority vote, the U.S. Senate can pass the resolution of disapproval on the mining ban in Minnesota and allow for prospective mining projects to once again embark on the process of obtaining permitting from state and federal authorities to move forward with extraction. The Trump administration – cognizant that “[it] is in national interest to unleash America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources” – has already declared its strong support for passing H.J.Res.140. This would be a win for the country by helping free up U.S. domestic resources to meet our national security needs and dramatically reduce our dependence on China, all the while respecting existing statutory guidelines and the strictest environmental standards in the world.
Allowing Mining of Critical Minerals in Minnesota Would Strengthen President Trump’s Plan to Protect American Energy and National Security
If Congress successfully passes H.J.Res.140 and sends it to President Trump for his signature, it will be one more plank to strengthen his already robust critical minerals agenda. One of President Trump’s top priorities in his second term has been to build a wide-ranging plan to meet the United States’ current and future needs and ensure our energy and national security. Since taking office again, the President has taken numerous steps to make that plan a reality:
February 2025: President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to “advise the President on improving the processes for permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, and export of all forms of American energy, including critical minerals.”
March 2025: The President issued an executive order to boost funding and ease regulatory hurdles for domestic mineral production.
April 2025: The President issued an executive order to explore and secure offshore seabed critical mineral resources.
November 2025: The U.S. Geological Survey added 10 new minerals to the list of critical minerals, including boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver, and uranium.
February 2026: The White House introduced Project Vault, a public-private critical mineral reserve for American businesses.
February 2026: At the State Department’s Critical Minerals Ministerial, Vice President JD Vance proposed FORGE – the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement – to establish price floors for critical minerals to counter China’s market flooding intended to undercut international competition and take control of global markets.
President Trump’s foresight in securing critical minerals for American national security is noteworthy and commendable, especially given the increasingly important role of critical minerals in defense production and China’s dominance as a global producer. Congress can and must do everything within its power to work towards the same goal.
The U.S. Senate Must Act Now
The need to develop critical minerals in the United States is undeniable. Politicians from both parties have acknowledged that the lack of domestic mineral production is a national security risk that leaves Americans dependent on adversaries like China.
A look around the country shows multiple opportunities beyond northeastern Minnesota to tap into rich, domestic natural resources that could also help wean the U.S. off of foreign dependence:
Last year, the Department of War signed a groundbreaking public-private partnership to take advantage of the largest rare-earth element mine in the United States and “accelerate a build-out of an end-to-end domestic rare earth magnet supply chain.”
With the U.S. importing nearly all of its cobalt, cobalt feedstock from Iron Creek, Idaho, eventually being refined at a North American facility could form the cornerstone of cobalt independence from Chinese-controlled supply chains.
The Smackover Formation in the southern United States is estimated to contain up to 19 million tons of lithium reserves, and a $225 million federal grant will kickstart the construction of a processing plant in Lewisville, Arkansas. For comparison, the United States currently only produces 6,000 tons of lithium annually.
All of these projects and more show tremendous promise for the United States to eventually reach critical mineral independence. For now, Congress can take a major step towards unlocking American national security resources and end our dependance on China by lifting the mining ban in Minnesota, but time is running out. The U.S. Senate must prioritize America’s national security by passing H.J.Res.140 before it is too late.