Upon introduction, Senator Britt said, “The United States faces growing challenges in securing a critical minerals supply chain that is independent from control by our foreign adversaries. These challenges were grossly ignored under the last administration, which disregarded the crucial role these minerals play in bolstering national defense and economic security. President Trump has taken important steps to ensure that the United States can take advantage of its technological leadership in developing these minerals in the deep sea, and it is time that we in Congress step up to codify these important actions.”
Currently, the United States faces a strategic vulnerability in critical mineral supply chains. China dominates the production and refining of major critical minerals, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the critical mineral supply, and has placed export restrictions on critical minerals in 2023, 2024, and April of this year, highlighting their willingness to weaponize this advantage.
This legislation would allow the United States to advance its production of critical minerals and reduce dependence on China by streamlining cumbersome policies that currently discourage innovation in the industry.
“From sophisticated defense technology to everyday items like cell phones and car batteries, critical minerals are a key component of America’s national and economic security. Expanding and investing in our critical minerals industry here at home is vital to limiting our reliance on foreign adversaries for these resources. I’m proud to lead this legislation in the Senate to build on President Trump’s work to fortify our critical minerals supply chain and restore American energy dominance,” said Senator Sheehy.
The Revitalizing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Dominance Act of 2025 would codify certain elements of President Trump’s Executive Order 14285, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources.”
The bill would expedite the process for reviewing and issuing licenses that allow critical minerals to be identified and derived from seabed mineral resources and would develop key partnerships to grow our ability to explore, extract, process, and monitor critical seabed mineral resources.
Read the full text of the bill here.