US-China Relations

Republican Senators Urge Pentagon Chief to Bolster Lithium Production in US

‘It is a national security investment to detangle our supply chains from Communist China,’ the senators said.
Republican Senators Urge Pentagon Chief to Bolster Lithium Production in US
The Smackover Lithium office in Lewisville, Ark., on Sept. 24, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

Three Republican senators said the Pentagon should strengthen support for U.S. lithium suppliers, including those in their home states, warning that reliance on China for the critical mineral poses national security risks.

Arkansas Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman and Texas Sen. John Cornyn sent a letter to War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Oct. 17 noting that current U.S. lithium production stands at about 1 percent of the world’s total supply, while China’s communist regime “overwhelmingly dominates” global production and processing.
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
Reporter
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based reporter. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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