Trump Signs Order Targeting Critical Mineral Supply Chain

President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at bolstering U.S. control over critical supply chains, the White House said on Jan. 14.

The action requires the administration to pursue and secure supplies of critical minerals from U.S. trading partners.

The executive directive involves U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, directing them to “negotiate agreements with trading partners to address the threatened impairment of national security” regarding imports of processed critical minerals and their derivative products.

During these talks, U.S. officials will negotiate price floors with trading partners. If successful, Trump could implement minimum import prices for critical minerals.

Other actions might be necessary to “eliminate the related threats to national security,” according to a White House fact sheet.

In November, the Department of the Interior released an updated list of 60 minerals vital to U.S. economic and national security. Ten new minerals were added to the list: boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver, and uranium.

The prices of these minerals, particularly copper and silver, have rocketed over the past year. Over the past 12 months, silver and copper have climbed 185 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

These critical minerals, the White House says, are vital to advanced weapons systems, energy infrastructure, and everyday consumer goods.

Despite growing global demand, domestic critical mineral production has been on a steady decline. China remains the world’s top producer and refiner of about half of the minerals identified by the U.S. government as critical.

“Mining a mineral domestically does not safeguard the national security of the United States if the United States remains dependent on a foreign country for the processing of that mineral,” Trump said in the executive order.

Trump signed the order following trade investigations conducted by the administration this past spring.

That same day, the president introduced a new 25 percent tariff on “certain advanced computing chips,” including AMD’s MI325X and Nvidia’s H200. However, imports needed to build and expand the U.S. technological supply chain would be exempt.

The United States produces about 12 percent of global semiconductors and depends substantially on South Korea and Taiwan for these chips, which are crucial to the build-out of artificial intelligence, data centers, and robotics.

In February, the president stated that he would impose 25 percent tariffs on semiconductors, but he did not launch a formal investigation into chip imports until months later.

Emel Akan contributed to this report.