; "Trump may need to allow Chinese minerals as U.S. industry struggles to meet 2027 deadline")
Trump may need to allow Chinese minerals as U.S. industry struggles to meet 2027 deadline
Crushed ore before it is sent to the mill at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California, in 2020 | REUTERS
Jul 28, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to end Washington’s reliance on Chinese critical minerals by January is colliding with a stark reality: American miners and processors aren’t ready.
Trump has made U.S. mining and processing of critical minerals a national security priority since returning to office, pouring tens of billions of dollars into nearly 150 minerals companies to loosen China’s grip on supply chains for weapons and other strategic products.
The defense industry and other manufacturers are now just over five months away from a January 1, 2027, deadline under federal regulations to stop purchasing rare earths, magnets, tungsten, molybdenum and tantalum from China, Russia, Iran or North Korea.
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