WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL) and Rob Wittman (R-VA), along with Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Michael Waltz (R-FL), led a bipartisan group of members of Congress in urging the House Appropriations Committee to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s work to advance critical minerals and materials (CMM) innovation in Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations legislation. In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, the lawmakers underscored the importance of advancing CMM innovation to support domestic supply chains and reduce the United States’ reliance on CMMs from adversarial nations like China.

“Rising demand for critical minerals in the U.S. is leading to increasing dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals and their downstream products. Crucially, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) controls most of the market for processing and refining cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements, and other critical minerals. The PRC’s dominance of these supply chains, according to a White House interagency report, stems from Beijing’s aggressive deployment of industrial policies, including research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) investments and strategic international partnerships, and market manipulation,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers continued, “The Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bill creates an important opportunity for Congress to advance CMM innovation and develop next-generation industries free from CCP influence. The Subcommittee, we believe, should fund the essential work of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop reliable, resilient, affordable, diverse, sustainable, and secure domestic critical mineral and material supply chains.”

“Critical minerals and materials are fundamental to our modern society, quietly powering the

technologies and innovations that shape our daily lives. Because U.S. reliance on the PRC and other foreign sources for these materials places our national and economic security at risk, CMM innovation is a bipartisan imperative. Congress must support DOE in taking impactful and wide-ranging actions to address this challenge and secure our domestic supply chains. We look forward to working with the Subcommittee on this matter,” the lawmakers concluded.

The letter was signed by Representatives Kathy Castor (D-FL), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Michael Waltz (R-FL), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), (André Carson (D-IN), Andy Barr (R-KY), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), and Haley Stevens (D-MI).

The full letter can be read here.