Why It Matters

The February 26 Senate Foreign Relations Committee briefing addresses vulnerabilities threatening U.S. military capability, economic competitiveness, and technological leadership. At stake is America’s ability to manufacture advanced defense systems, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals without relying on adversaries.

China controls 40-90 percent of global processing for lithium, cobalt, and copper, creating chokepoints Beijing has weaponized. In 2025, China restricted rare-earth exports by 90 percent to allied nations. The U.S. is fully import-dependent for 12 critical minerals and relies on imports for more than half of 29 additional minerals.

The stakes for Congress: Committee members have drafted competing approaches—Democratic Senator Shaheen’s SECURE Minerals Act creating a Strategic Resilience Reserve versus GOP Senator Cornyn’s STRATEGIC Minerals Act enabling allied trade agreements. The briefing will inform whether these bills advance and how aggressively Congress funds domestic mining versus allied partnerships.

Broader Context

Recent developments underscore the need for the U.S. to figure out a solution. China escalated export controls on rare-earth elements in 2025, restricting shipments to Japan and South Korea by more than 90 percent. Taiwan’s semiconductor dominance compounds vulnerability—producing over 60 percent of global chips but exposed to Chinese disruption.

Congressional response has been bipartisan. The Quad launched a Critical Minerals Initiative in 2025, while the administration signed bilateral minerals agreements with Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Innovation may offer alternatives. Companies like Niron Magnetics are scaling rare-earth-free magnets, while Phoenix Tailings develops cost-competitive extraction from mining waste. The U.S. invested $1.4 billion in rare-earth magnet recycling companies in November 2025.

Between The Lines

Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) has positioned critical minerals as urgent national security matter, stating the U.S. "shouldn’t depend on China for rare minerals" in Newsweek.

Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the SECURE Minerals Act, creating a Strategic Resilience Reserve. She toured Phoenix Tailings’ facility in New Hampshire.

Other key members have advanced related legislation:

Competitive Landscape

Multiple organizations are actively lobbying Congress on critical minerals ahead of the briefing.

Alliance for Mineral Security spent $40,000 across three quarters, retaining Clark Hill Public Strategies LLC to lobby on "critical minerals, supply chain, reindustrialization, China, defense supply chain."

Vulcan Elements Inc. spent $30,000 on semiconductor production and rare earth elements. EVelution Energy LLC invested $50,000 in lobbying focused on "critical minerals, supply chain resilience, reindustrialization."

BHP Minerals Service Co. spent $60,000 in Q3 2025 alone on international supply chains and critical minerals.

The Bottom Line

The February 26 briefing addresses three interconnected vulnerabilities: technological competitiveness, mineral dependency, and fragile supply chains. The hearing reflects bipartisan alarm over China’s processing dominance despite producing only a fraction of raw materials globally.

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