Henrico Times

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) was announced to lead the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s new policy working group focused on countering the CCP's control of critical mineral supply chains. Critical minerals are used in semiconductors, wind turbines, and electric vehicles.

“Dominance over global supply chains for critical mineral and rare earth elements is the next stage of great power competition,” Rep. Wittman said. “We must secure American access to these materials that are integral to the technology we rely on in our daily lives and for our national defense. I look forward to leading the Critical Minerals Working Group with Rep. Castor to elevate this aspect of the serious economic threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party.”

The policy working group is charged with producing legislation and spreading awareness through committee events to counter the CCP's dominance of critical minerals. This work will start immediately and will build upon the Select Committee's December report titled "Reset, Prevent, Build: A Strategy to Win America's Economic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party.” This report outlined a strategy to fundamentally reset the United States' economic and technological competition with the People's Republic of China and drew attention to American reliance on Chinese critical minerals.

Specifically, the Critical Minerals Policy Working Group will work to create transparency in the U.S. supply chain dependency for critical minerals and develop a package of proposed investments, regulatory reforms, and tax incentives to reduce that dependency.

“Critical minerals are the building blocks of everything from basic consumer goods to advanced military technology,” Chairman Moolenaar said. “America’s reliance on the Chinese Communist Party’s control of the critical mineral supply chain would quickly become an existential vulnerability in the event of a conflict. The CCP has already weaponized its monopoly on some minerals by imposing export restrictions on rare earth elements like gallium, germanium, and graphite, as well as mineral processing equipment. That’s why I am establishing this new working group that will help Congress declare independence from CCP-controlled supply chains. I am thankful to Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi and Reps. Wittman and Castor for their leadership and I know they will help produce thoughtful solutions to the complex issues involved with critical minerals.”

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) will co-lead the group alongside Rep. Wittman. Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), and Ben Cline (R-VA) will also serve on the Critical Minerals Policy Working Group.

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