Critical Minerals and Energy Intelligence

Trump launches national security investigation into foreign-controlled critical mineral imports

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President Donald Trump has ordered a formal investigation into whether US dependence on foreign-processed critical minerals and the products they feed threatens national security.

The executive order, signed on April 15, 2025, initiated under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, signals another front in the White House’s push to break reliance on hostile foreign supply chains — in particular, China.

“Major global foreign producers of processed critical minerals have engaged in widespread price manipulation, overcapacity, arbitrary export restrictions, and the exploitation of their supply chain dominance to distort world markets and thereby gain geopolitical and economic leverage over the United States”

— Executive Order, Ensuring national security and economic resilience through section 232 actions on processed critical minerals and derivative products

The investigation will determine whether imports of processed critical minerals and their derivative products threaten to impair US national security. The minerals impacted are included in the “Critical Minerals List” published by the United States Geological Survey, as well as uranium.

The US Department of Commerce now has 180 days to deliver a final report with recommendations to the President, which should also consider:

the imposition of tariffs as well as other import restrictions and their appropriate levels
safeguards to avoid circumvention and any weakening of the section 232 measures
policies to incentivize domestic production, processing, and recycling
any additional measures that may be warranted to mitigate US national security risks

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