Senators on the Foreign Relations subcommittee pressed State Department witnesses about undisbursed U.S. investments in the Lobito Corridor and the role of the Development Finance Corporation in making the rail corridor commercially viable for mineral exports.

Senator Shaheen, who introduced bipartisan mineral security legislation with Senator Curtis, said the Lobito Corridor is a “strategic alternative to China’s Belt and Road” and noted that a $553 million U.S. investment for the corridor has not been dispersed. She asked witnesses what is needed to get the project moving.

Ambassador Jonathan Pratt told the subcommittee the DFC plays a “critical role” in financing the project and urged Congress to reauthorize the DFC by October. “DFC support is essential to making these investments financially viable for U.S. companies in Africa,” Pratt said.

Pratt and Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Woodard said the U.S. approach mixes diplomatic engagement, embassy facilitation and public finance to derisk projects. Woodard described efforts to link U.S. companies with African governments and to use DFC and EXIM to enable commercially viable rail and port links that would channel minerals “west, not east to China.”

Senator Shaheen and other senators asked why disbursement is slow; Pratt said some funds are tied to benchmarks and implementation steps that require DFC processes and interagency coordination. Senators urged quicker action and clearer benchmarks so American firms can plan investments tied to the corridor.

The subcommittee emphasized that a commercially viable Lobito Corridor could help create export routes and regional stability in central and southern Africa, and they asked Congress to consider stronger capital and faster decisionmaking for public finance institutions supporting such infrastructure.