Congressman Kustoff, Panetta Introduces Bill to Strengthen America’s Critical Mineral Supply Chain

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08) and Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) introduced the Restoring American Mineral Security Act, legislation aimed to reduce U.S. dependence on adversaries like China and Russia for critical minerals. Senators Bill Hagerty (TN) and Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) introduced the companion bill in the Senate.

"The United States cannot afford to depend on foreign adversaries for critical minerals," said Congressman Kustoff. "This legislation takes an important step to forge a strong partnership with allied countries, stop adversarial manipulation, and strengthen our U.S. national security. A reliable supply of critical minerals is essential for our economy, our military, and our long-term competitiveness."

"If we don't want to lose out to the CCP and Russia in the race to control critical minerals, we need to get serious about strengthening our supply chains," said Congressman Panetta. "The RAMS Act confronts the underhanded tactics of our foreign adversaries head-on by creating a formal alliance to ensure we have a hand on the wheel when it comes to the critical minerals market. This is a commonsense step towards protecting our economic and national security interests."

Background:

Foreign adversaries have been flooding global markets with artificially cheap, low-quality minerals, undercutting American producers and gaining leverage over critical supply chains. China currently controls much of the world's mining and processing capacity, leaving the United States vulnerable to unfair trade practices, price manipulation, and strategic pressure.

The Restoring American Mineral Security Act addresses these challenges by establishing the Critical Minerals Security Alliance composed of trusted member nations. Members of the alliance would:

Agree to raise tariffs on minerals from adversaries and enforce fair trade rules.

Share information on mining and processing capacity.

Be exempt from certain U.S. tariffs on critical minerals and related goods.

Reinvest tariff revenue into American and allied mineral projects.

The bill also mandates a five-year review to determine whether the alliance should expand or make other adjustments, with final approval resting with Congress.

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