President Asks Agencies to Recommend 'Additional Executive Action' on Imported Minerals
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Sept. 30 asking the departments of Commerce, Defense, the Treasury and the Interior “to investigate our Nation's undue reliance on critical minerals, in processed or unprocessed form, from foreign adversaries.” This order follows one from late 2017 that asked agencies to identify which minerals are critical. Trump acknowledged that there is not sufficient domestic supply, but said that under International Emergency Economic Powers Act authority, he wants to make sure imports are coming from allies, not adversaries.
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He said that the agencies have 60 days to recommend whether he should put tariffs or quotas on Chinese rare earths, barite, gallium or graphite. He also said they have 30 days to identify “all legal authorities and appropriations that the agency can use” to establish domestic supply chains for these critical minerals. China is the source of 95% of the imports in some categories, according to the order. The Commerce Department previously issued a critical mineral strategy (see 1906050074) that followed another executive order on the subject (see 1712260006).