China’s decision to suspend exports of rare earth minerals highlights a significant national security vulnerability that cannot be addressed by executive power alone. Three decades ago, the United States dominated the global rare earth minerals market. However, it frittered away this power because the government bowed to a combination of globalist naivete and environmental absolutism. The U.S. can become self-sufficient in rare earth mineral production again, but to do so, Congress must work with the White House to make policy changes.
Despite their name, rare earth minerals aren’t very rare. The U.S. has plenty of them underground and mines more than 10% of the global supply. However, raw minerals need to go through a complicated refining process before they become industrial-grade materials used in everything from electric and gas-powered vehicles to jet engines, medical equipment, semiconductors, smartphones, and televisions.
