WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the below statement after convening an unclassified roundtable discussion on critical minerals financing with senators, domestic industry, finance and U.S. government officials:

“As global demand for critical minerals continues to grow at exponential rates, the U.S. must identify secure sources of these minerals that are essential components for technologies critical to national security, including military equipment and defense systems, vehicles, and our energy grid.

“Currently, China dominates the mining, refining, and processing for a vast number of these minerals – in many cases controlling nearly 100 percent of the end-to-end supply chain – and is actively seeking to control additional resources. To ensure the U.S. has a resilient supply chain for these critical minerals, the U.S. must, alongside allies, proactively secure investments in and operations of critical minerals projects in the U.S. and abroad.

“We were pleased to co-host this bipartisan roundtable, bringing together key industry leaders, U.S. government officials, and many of our colleagues, to discuss how the U.S. can unlock investment in and operations of critical minerals projects in the U.S. and abroad to meet exponential demand increases for these minerals and reduce our dependence on China. We look forward to continuing this work with responsible stakeholders.”

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