“America’s Economic Strength and National Security Depend on Critical Minerals.”
11 Agreements Advance America’s Strategy to Reduce Reliance on Foreign Adversaries and Expand U.S. Production
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a member of the Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement after the Trump Administration’s recent announcement of 11 new bilateral critical minerals frameworks reached during the 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial with countries including Argentina, the Cook Islands, Ecuador, Guinea, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan:
“America’s economic strength and national security depend on critical minerals. The Trump Administration’s announcement of 11 new bilateral frameworks marks a major step forward in building strong supply chains and cutting our reliance on foreign adversaries. These deals diversify our sources, secure the materials we need and supercharge investment in mining, processing and manufacturing.
“This is strong American leadership in action. By securing access to critical minerals, we’re driving innovation, creating high-quality jobs and keeping the United States at the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing and emerging technology.”
In recent months, Congressman Buchanan traveled to several of these countries in his role as Chairman of the House Democracy Partnership, where he emphasized the importance of stronger trade partnerships to secure critical minerals, support American manufacturers and keep the United States globally competitive. In addition, the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law, included a requirement proposed by Buchanan for the Secretary of Defense to identify critical defense infrastructure that relies on critical minerals or mineral-dependent components sourced from foreign adversaries and outline pathways to replace the procurement and production of those materials.
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