Congressmen Brett Guthrie and Gary Palmer announced a hearing to address the critical mineral supply chains in the United States. The hearing, titled “Examining Ways to Enhance Our Critical Mineral Supply Chains,” will be held by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
“Critical minerals are essential to America’s energy independence and our national security. By securing reliable and resilient supply chains for critical minerals, we are strengthening our global competitiveness, boosting domestic production and manufacturing, and reducing our reliance on foreign adversaries,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Palmer.
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET in the Rayburn House Office Building. It will be open to the public and press and available via livestream on the Energy & Commerce Committee’s website.
David Howell’s testimony will highlight challenges in domestic battery supply chains. He points out that China controls a significant portion of global battery materials through state subsidies and other practices. The U.S. lacks a domestic industrial base for these materials, posing risks to national security and economic competitiveness.
Howell emphasizes policy gaps where current tax credits inadequately incentivize upstream production compared to downstream efforts. He suggests reforms such as increasing tax credits for electrode active materials from 10% to 25% under H.R. 3200, aligning these with restrictions on Foreign Entities of Concern (FEOCs), expanding tariffs on lithium-based materials, accelerating federal funding for processing/recycling projects, and prioritizing non-Chinese sourcing for defense battery production.
He stresses urgent actions needed to close loopholes that allow U.S. tax credits to benefit Chinese producers, support domestic production innovation through coordination between DOE/DOD, and counter China’s price manipulation tactics.
“Without a domestic materials base, there is no industrial base for DoD critical systems,” Howell concludes.
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