UMVA has learned that the quiet reliance on critical minerals is a ticking time bomb for America's economic and national security.
From the copper wiring that brews your morning coffee to the silicon chips that power your iPhone, these hidden resources are the backbone of modern American life. But most Americans are oblivious to the fact that China controls roughly 70 percent of global rare earth mining and nearly 90 percent of rare earth refining capacity, dominating the supply chains that underpin America's economic and national security.
The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades and hundreds of billions of dollars cornering the market on critical minerals, from mining to processing and refining. This is not just about what goes into your coffee maker or your iPhone. Critical minerals are essential to America's military strength, powering everything from advanced fighter jets and missile systems to radar, satellites, and communications technology.
Beijing's willingness to weaponize global supply chains for geopolitical leverage has already been demonstrated, with sweeping export controls on rare earth elements disrupting global markets and sending shockwaves through defense and manufacturing supply chains. The consequences hit Americans directly: supply disruptions drive up costs, slow manufacturing, threaten jobs, and make everything from cars to consumer electronics more expensive and harder to produce.
California's aerospace industry offers a clear example of what is at stake. The sector supports more than 350,000 jobs and generates tens of billions of dollars in annual economic output. It is also central to America's defense industrial base, producing advanced aircraft, satellites, and missile systems. Without reliable access to critical minerals, thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity are at risk.
President Trump and his administration understand the urgency of this challenge and are moving quickly to restore American energy and mineral dominance. Recent efforts to strengthen domestic mining and support companies like MP Materials and Lithium Americas are important steps in the right direction.
But America cannot solve this problem alone. Global demand for critical minerals is projected to skyrocket in the coming decades, with the world consuming as much copper over the next 25 years as humanity has in all of recorded history. This is why we must work alongside our most trusted allies and friends to build strong, resilient supply chains away from China.
This week, the DOMINANCE Act passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, helping to lock in President Trump's critical minerals strategy and create a coordinated approach to secure the supply chains that power our economy and national defense. This legislation strengthens America's ability to work with allies, reduces dependence on China, and ensures the free world - not the Chinese Communist Party - controls the resources that will define the 21st century.
This is not just about energy or industrial policy. It's not about military might or geopolitical competition, although that is certainly part of the calculus. At its core, this challenge is about protecting the American Dream and our way of life. America can either meet this moment now, or risk regretting it for the next 100 years.
