News Nation: Dominance Act: Panel says bipartisan legislation will help strength United States’ energy security
(NewsNation) — Bipartisan legislation to strengthen U.S. energy security has been introduced, which Rep. Ami Bera and Rep. Young Kim say is part of a “wake-up call” for how vulnerable the country is with the critical minerals supply chain.
“We are no longer asleep at the wheel,” Kim, R-Calif., told “The Hill” on Wednesday. “We are wide awake and answering the call that the United States is ready to build out domestic production to meet the demands that we have at scale.”
Part of the legislation, the Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies (DOMINANCE) Act, aims to reduce the United States’ reliance on China to build resilient critical minerals supply chains with trusted allies and partners around the world.
According to a geological survey, China controls nearly 44 million tons of the global rare earth mining, while the U.S. only controls 1.9 million tons.
Kim adds the legislation will be a “game-changer” for the U.S. Bera backed Kim’s remarks, acknowledging the critical minerals are vital for technology and military weaponry the United States has and is possibly developing.
“It’s a real national security and economic issue,” the California Democrat said. “We can’t be vulnerable to potential competitors in Beijing. That’s why this is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s an American issue.”
President Trump wants security assets in Greenland: Panel
As President Trump continues to push for acquiring Greenland, Bera feels the island can help address the commander-in-chief’s desire to house security assets.
“The Arctic is increasingly a competitive playing field,” Bera said. “We already have military bases up there. I think they are more than willing to allow us to have more military bases.”
Kim noted Greenland — which controls 1.5 million tons in global reserves — has valuable natural resources that are important in the critical mineral sector.
“We would rather be a partner there than ceding that to our adversaries like Russia or China,” she said.
