HYDE-SMITH PRAISES ADMINISTRATION FOR ADDING PHOSPHATE TO U.S. CRITICAL MINERALS LIST

HYDE-SMITH PRAISES ADMINISTRATION FOR ADDING PHOSPHATE TO U.S. CRITICAL MINERALS LIST

Miss. Senator Sought Inclusion of Key Fertilizer Ingredient to Stabilize Markets, Bring Production Home

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today praised the Trump administration and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for adding phosphate, a critical fertilizer ingredient for Mississippi's agricultural sector, to the 2025 Critical Minerals List.

Hyde-Smith and other lawmakers in September asked Burgum to include phosphate on the important list after discovering it was not included on a draft critical minerals list issued by the U.S. Geological Survey this summer. The final 2025 Critical Minerals List, which will be formally published in the Federal Register on Friday, includes phosphate and retains potash.

"Expensive fertilizer costs are a significant factor in the economic headwinds hitting Mississippi's agricultural sector. Having both phosphate and potash on the Critical Minerals List should help stabilize supply chains and begin to reduce our dependence on foreign sources," Hyde-Smith said. "This is smart and commonsense policy, and I praise the President and Secretary Burgum for ensuring these key fertilizer components made the list."

Hyde-Smith was among 19 Senators and 49 House members who, in September, asked Burgum to include both potash and phosphate on the final Critical Minerals List. They argued that doing so would help facilitate domestic phosphate production, strengthen supply chains, reduce reliance on countries like China, lower input prices for farmers, and safeguard American food security.

"Phosphate, like potash, is indispensable to global food production and U.S. agriculture. It has no substitutes in farming, and disruptions in supply have immediate and far-reaching consequences for American producers, food prices, and national security," the lawmakers wrote in September. "Farmers across the country are already experiencing the impacts of market volatility and supply pressures tied to phosphate availability."

Hyde-Smith has used her position on the Senate Agriculture Committee to fight actions and policies that adversely affect the availability and affordability of fertilizers for Mississippi farmers and ranchers, particularly positions taken by the Biden administration.

The Critical Minerals List is used to identify minerals with vulnerable supply chains that are essential to the U.S. economy and national security. It helps guide strategic federal investments in domestic production to reduce dependence on foreign sources

The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and The Fertilizer Institute are among organizations that supported the inclusion of phosphate on the final list.

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