Representatives John W. Mannion (NY-22) and Elise Stefanik (NY-21) Lead Bipartisan Effort to Build Domestic Gallium Supply Chain in the Mohawk Valley

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representatives John W. Mannion (NY-22) and Elise Stefanik (NY-21) today led a bipartisan letter with their colleagues from across Upstate New York calling on the federal government to partner with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/RI) in Rome, NY and regional stakeholders to establish a secure, domestic gallium supply chain headquartered in the Mohawk Valley. The letter is also signed Representatives Joe Morelle (NY-25), Nick Langworthy (NY-23), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Claudia Tenney (NY-24).

Gallium is a critical mineral used in advanced radar systems, semiconductors, high-frequency chips, GPS navigation, and other technologies essential to U.S. military readiness and economic competitiveness. China controls approximately 98 percent of the global gallium supply and has imposed export restrictions to the United States - creating a serious national security and supply chain vulnerability. The lawmakers urge the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, Michael Cadenazzi, to work closely with partners in the region to establish a secure and resilient supply chain here in the U.S. to address the need for this critical mineral and protect U.S. national security.

"Central New York and the Mohawk Valley are home to some of our country's top military and civilian technology talent, as well as public and private research institutions capable of supporting the workforce necessary to advance U.S. refining capabilities and establish a domestic gallium supply chain. The existing infrastructure and manufacturing base in the region, as well as advanced work with specialty materials like gallium, makes Central New York and the Mohawk Valley the perfect place to establish a large-scale alumina refinery that could support a resilient domestic gallium supply chain," wrote the lawmakers.

Central New York and the Mohawk Valley are already home to advanced manufacturing assets, world-class research institutions, and a skilled workforce pipeline capable of supporting domestic refining operations. Proximity to AFRL/RI - one of the nation's premier defense research laboratories - positions the region as a strategic hub for advanced materials science and semiconductor innovation.

In this year's bipartisan Defense Appropriations Bill, Congress included a $10 million increase in funding for critical mineral extraction. The New York delegation fought to secure this investment as a federal complement to existing private-sector and state efforts to support a state-of-the-art gallium processing facility in the Mohawk Valley.

Read the letter here.

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