Rep. Young Kim said the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced the Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies, or DOMINANCE, Act this week to curb U.S. dependence on critical minerals controlled by China.
Kim wrote that the Chinese Communist Party has spent decades and hundreds of billions of dollars building dominance across mining, processing and refining. She said China controls roughly 70% of global rare earth mining and nearly 90% of rare earth refining capacity and that Beijing imposed sweeping export controls on rare earth elements last year.
In an opinion piece, Kim argued that those minerals underpin everyday U.S. life and national security. She listed everyday examples such as coffee makers, refrigerators and televisions and said critical minerals power batteries, electric motors, communications technology, fighter jets, missile systems, radar and satellites.
Kim said the Trump administration has taken steps to boost domestic production and cited companies such as MP Materials and Lithium Americas. She added that even with increased U.S. mining, global demand is expected to surge and noted estimates that the world could consume as much copper in the next 25 years as in all previous recorded history.
Kim wrote that the DOMINANCE Act would create a coordinated approach to secure supply chains, deepen cooperation with allies and reduce dependence on China. She said the legislation aims to ensure that the free world, rather than the Chinese Communist Party, controls critical resources that will shape the 21st century.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
