Trump Works to Cut US Dependence on Foreign Nations for Critical Minerals

‘This is a really good objective, and it’s long overdue,’ Mark Mills, said executive director of the National Center for Energy Analytics.

Lepidolite, used for lithium ores, is seen from a mine near San Diego County on Dec. 27, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The Trump administration’s push for greater energy production in the United States will go beyond drilling for oil and gas to include the expansion of mining and refining for what have been deemed critical minerals.

While speaking before a joint session of Congress on March 4, President Donald Trump said that he would “take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA,” pledging a new initiative “later this week,” which is still being anticipated.