President Donald Trump signed a measure Thursday giving the Commerce secretary authority to restrict exports of recoverable critical minerals, aiming to reduce US reliance on China for rare earths.
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President Donald Trump signed a measure Thursday giving the Commerce secretary authority to restrict exports of recoverable critical minerals, using the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to keep rare earths and other elements in the US.
The order targets recoverable critical minerals and materials, or CMMs, in finished products such as magnets and lithium-ion batteries. Those minerals can be reclaimed and recycled, the White House fact sheet said.
Trump has used the DPA before to renew offshore oil production and support domestic coal plants. Former President Joe Biden also invoked the law to boost domestic production of solar panels, transformers, heat pumps, and fuel cells. The statute lets presidents direct private companies to expand production of critical materials for national defense.
Rare earths have gained outsized importance since last year when China placed export controls that rattled US manufacturers. The US and China eventually reached a broad trade deal that eased tariffs and curbed some export restrictions. Despite that detente, the Trump administration has moved to secure alternative sources of those minerals, the White House said.
The Commerce secretary has not yet issued specific export restrictions. The order is a presidential determination that enables action, not a mandate. The White House fact sheet did not name any specific commodities for export restrictions. The next step is for the Commerce secretary to decide which materials to cover, a process that could take months.
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