Lawmaker introduces 'Dominance Act' to shore up critical-mineral supply chains

A member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs urged Congress to pass the bipartisan "Dominance Act," saying the United States must cut reliance on Chinese processing and refining of critical minerals that underpin military systems and advanced technologies. The lawmaker told colleagues that when supply chains are vulnerable, the country’s security is at risk.

"This legislation strengthens America's ability to work with our allies, mobilize investment, and build resilient supply chains for critical minerals and energy technologies our economy and our military depend on," the lawmaker said, adding that "Representative Barah and I introduced the bipartisan Dominance Act." The speaker urged colleagues to support the bill and then yielded the remainder of their time.

The lawmaker framed the bill as an economic-security measure, saying it aims to boost domestic production while coordinating with allied partners. The remarks noted that, for decades, Beijing pursued a strategy to dominate critical-mineral supply chains and that last year China restricted exports of rare-earth materials, which the speaker described as an example of how an adversary can "weaponize" control over processing capacity without firing a shot.

The speaker said congressional staff and lawmakers have spent the past year engaging with industry actors, naming Freeport-McMoRan, MP Materials, Cobalt Metals, and the National Association of Manufacturers as stakeholders whose input informed deliberations. The transcript does not include specifics of how the bill would allocate funding or change permitting, nor does it record a committee vote or a formal next step for the measure.

The statement positioned the Dominance Act as part of a broader effort to strengthen U.S. industrial capacity and align partners and allies to shape global supply chains. The transcript ends with the lawmaker yielding time; no formal action on the bill was recorded in the provided excerpt.