House passes bill to tackle mineral supply chain vulnerabilities

The House of Representatives passed a bill that would direct the Department of Energy to assess and address vulnerabilities in the critical mineral supply chain, which is essential to manufacturing products for the energy and defense sectors.

The Republican-backed bill is part of an effort to reduce the United States’s dependence on China for critical minerals. China has used its market dominance as leverage against the U.S. and others, raising national security concerns.