Floor SpeechNeutral2026-02-24

CRITICAL MINERALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR COUNTRY

TaxesEnvironmentForeign PolicyChinaTrade

Context

On 2026-02-24, Representative Robert J. Wittman (R-VA-1) delivered a floor speech titled "CRITICAL MINERALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR COUNTRY" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered the environment, foreign policy. It referenced legislation: HR4294.

Full Text

CRITICAL MINERALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR COUNTRY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2264-H2265] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CRITICAL MINERALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR COUNTRY (Mr. Wittman of Virginia was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of critical minerals. They are the backbone of our economy, but the U.S. has ceded supply chain dominance to China, our primary adversary. In recent decades, China has overtaken the United States and our allies in production, processing, and smelting of critical minerals. Take rare earth elements, for example. Rare earths, a type of critical mineral, are crucial inputs into various consumer technologies, including smartphones, laptops, batteries, and cars. China controls 70 percent of rare earth mining, 90 percent of rare earth separation and processing, and 93 percent of rare earth magnet production. They exercise their monopoly in two ways: first, by dumping their product onto the global market to deliberately undercut U.S. producers; and second, by threatening to cut off our access to their exports, as they recently did in October of 2025. [[Page H2265]] We have outsourced our supply chains to them, allowing them to engage in unfair trade practices that put our Nation's strategic and economic security at great risk. The Trump administration has long recognized the threat China poses to our critical mineral supply chains and has taken bold actions that I applaud. Additionally, I have introduced several pieces of legislation that will help counter China's threat. In January, I introduced the SECURE Minerals Act, which is aimed at supporting domestic critical mineral supply chains. The SECURE Minerals Act would establish a Strategic Resilience Reserve that would be tasked with stabilizing critical mineral prices and supporting domestic production and extraction supply chains. The Strategic Resilience Reserve established under this bill would send a signal to the private sector that the United States Government is ready to take action, ultimately aggregating demand, stabilizing mineral prices, and reshoring critical advanced manufacturing. We cannot counter China's choke hold on the global mineral marketplace alone. If we are to break their monopoly, we have to coordinate with our allies. I have also introduced the Finding ORE Act, which would enable the administration to work in coordination with our allies to map critical mineral research around the globe. Madam Speaker, the time is now to act to save our future. Our economic and national security depend on it. Protecting Our Marine Wildlife Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, recently the House Committee on Natural Resources voted favorably to report H.R. 4294, the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act, better known as the MAWS Act. It is an effort I co-led with Congresswoman Elfreth. Having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay, I understand how important it is to protect our marine wildlife and restore the Bay's ecosystem. Since their introduction, the blue catfish have become an invasive species, posing a growing threat to the biodiversity of the region's waters and inflicting severe economic damage to seafood industries that rely on the Bay. This legislation aims to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through its existing Chesapeake Bay office to coordinate with non-Federal partners to accelerate the removal of invasive blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This effort will incentivize the harvest and sale of blue catfish, while providing valuable data for future efforts to combat invasive species in our waterways. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Representative Elfreth for her work on this effort, as well as her staff member, Allie. I also thank the House Natural Resources Committee staff. They include Richie, Kirby, Doug, Jackson, and Hannah on the majority and Rachel on the minority staff. Finally, I thank the many stakeholders who have helped in understanding the issues and supporting this legislative effort including the National Fisheries Institute, the Pet Food Institute, and the American Sportfishing Association, among many others. Madam Speaker, I look forward to seeing the full House consideration of this important bill very soon. ____________________

Referenced legislation: HR4294

View original source →

CRITICAL MINERALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR COUNTRY Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2264-H2265] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CRITICAL MINERALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR COUNTRY (Mr. Wittman of Virginia was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of critical minerals. They are the backbone of our economy, but the U.S. has ceded supply chain dominance to China, our primary adversary. In recent decades, China has overtaken the United States and our allies in production, processing, and smelting of critical minerals. Take rare earth elements, for example. Rare earths, a type of critical mineral, are crucial inputs into various consumer technologies, including smartphones, laptops, batteries, and cars. China controls 70 percent of rare earth mining, 90 percent of rare earth separation and processing, and 93 percent of rare earth magnet production. They exercise their monopoly in two ways: first, by dumping their product onto the global market to deliberately undercut U.S. producers; and second, by threatening to cut off our access to their exports, as they recently did in October of 2025. [[Page H2265]] We have outsourced our supply chains to them, allowing them to engage in unfair trade practices that put our Nation's strategic and economic security at great risk. The Trump administration has long recognized the threat China poses to our critical mineral supply chains and has taken bold actions that I applaud. Additionally, I have introduced several pieces of legislation that will help counter China's threat. In January, I introduced the SECURE Minerals Act, which is aimed at supporting domestic critical mineral supply chains. The SECURE Minerals Act would establish a Strategic Resilience Reserve that would be tasked with stabilizing critical mineral prices and supporting domestic production and extraction supply chains. The Strategic Resilience Reserve established under this bill would send a signal to the private sector that the United States Government is ready to take action, ultimately aggregating demand, stabilizing mineral prices, and reshoring critical advanced manufacturing. We cannot counter China's choke hold on the global mineral marketplace alone. If we are to break their monopoly, we have to coordinate with our allies. I have also introduced the Finding ORE Act, which would enable the administration to work in coordination with our allies to map critical mineral research around the globe. Madam Speaker, the time is now to act to save our future. Our economic and national security depend on it. Protecting Our Marine Wildlife Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, recently the House Committee on Natural Resources voted favorably to report H.R. 4294, the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act, better known as the MAWS Act. It is an effort I co-led with Congresswoman Elfreth. Having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay, I understand how important it is to protect our marine wildlife and restore the Bay's ecosystem. Since their introduction, the blue catfish have become an invasive species, posing a growing threat to the biodiversity of the region's waters and inflicting severe economic damage to seafood industries that rely on the Bay. This legislation aims to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through its existing Chesapeake Bay office to coordinate with non-Federal partners to accelerate the removal of invasive blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This effort will incentivize the harvest and sale of blue catfish, while providing valuable data for future efforts to combat invasive species in our waterways. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Representative Elfreth for her work on this effort, as well as her staff member, Allie. I also thank the House Natural Resources Committee staff. They include Richie, Kirby, Doug, Jackson, and Hannah on the majority and Rachel on the minority staff. Finally, I thank the many stakeholders who have helped in understanding the issues and supporting this legislative effort including the National Fisheries Institute, the Pet Food Institute, and the American Sportfishing Association, among many others. Madam Speaker, I look forward to seeing the full House consideration of this important bill very soon. ____________________ Referenced legislation: HR4294