WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Young Kim (CA-40), Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, introduced the Strategic Technology and Resilient Alliances (STRATA) Act to establish a Critical Mineral Innovation (CMI) Initiative at the State Department, coordinating allied partnerships, technology deployment, and new commercial tools to reduce U.S. dependence on China.
China currently dominates global critical minerals supply chains, including roughly 70% of mining and 90% of processing capacity. The CMI Initiative would help the United States and its allies accelerate innovative technologies that strengthen supply chains outside of China’s control.
“The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades cornering the market on critical minerals and using supply chains as a tool of economic coercion,” said Rep. Young Kim. “We cannot wait another moment to address this challenge. The STRATA Act plays to America’s greatest strengths: innovation and our strong alliances. By launching a Critical Mineral Innovation Initiative at the State Department, sharing technology with allies, and expanding domestic recycling, we will build a secure supply chain faster and smarter. Economic security is national security and this bill delivers both.”
“Critical minerals power everything from semiconductors and advanced manufacturing to energy systems and defense technologies, but our dependence on unreliable supply chains poses a serious threat to our economic and national security,” said Representative Ami Bera, M.D. “The STRATA Act addresses this challenge by building stronger partnerships with trusted allies and partners to advance critical minerals research, innovation, and production. This will make our economy more resilient and reduce our dependence on strategic competitors. I am proud to work with Representative Young Kim on this bipartisan effort to ensure the United States continues to lead in critical minerals innovation and advanced technologies.”
The STRATA Act will strengthen U.S. critical minerals supply chains by:
- Building structured partnerships with allied countries to coordinate research, development, testing, and deployment through shared priorities, joint funding, and aligned standards;
- Aligning federal agencies and allies on joint research, shared infrastructure and critical investments;
- Expanding recycling and recovery of critical minerals from waste streams and end-of-life products to increase supply, improve efficiency, and reduce exposure to geopolitically sensitive inputs;
- Spurring economic gains by supporting commercialization of technologies through pilot projects, early-stage financing, demand aggregation, and procurement tools to scale technologies and attract private investment;
- Strengthening U.S. economic and national security by accelerating innovation, and diversifying supply sources.
The STRATA Act complements Rep. Kim’s DOMINANCE Act that passed the House floor earlier in June.
Read bill text HERE, section-by-section HERE, and one-pager HERE.
