Alabama Sen. Britt Leads Bill To Unlock U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals, Counter China
Senators Introduce Legislation to Codify Trump Executive Order, Secure Domestic Supply Chain for National Defense and Technology
A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation designed to bolster the United States’ critical mineral supply chain and reduce its dependence on China. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), alongside Senators Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), announced the “Revitalizing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Dominance Act of 2025.”
The bill seeks to expand the domestic extraction of critical minerals from the seabed by streamlining regulatory processes and promoting innovation.
The legislation directly responds to what the senators describe as a strategic vulnerability in America’s supply chains, where China currently dominates the global production and refining of a majority of critical minerals. Citing China’s past use of export restrictions to weaponize its market control, the bill’s sponsors argue that a secure, independent domestic source for these minerals is a matter of national and economic security.
“The United States faces growing challenges in securing a critical minerals supply chain that is independent from control by our foreign adversaries,” said Senator Britt. “President Trump has taken important steps to ensure that the United States can take advantage of its technological leadership in developing these minerals in the deep sea, and it is time that we in Congress step up to codify these important actions.”
The proposed act would codify key elements of President Trump’s “Executive Order 14285, ‘Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources.'” The bill’s provisions include expediting the review and issuance of licenses for identifying and deriving minerals from seabed resources. It also calls for developing partnerships to enhance the nation’s ability to explore, extract, process, and monitor these critical resources.
Senator Sheehy, who is leading the legislation, emphasized the wide-ranging importance of these materials.
“From sophisticated defense technology to everyday items like cell phone and car batteries, critical minerals are a key component of America’s national and economic security,” Sheehy said. “Expanding and investing in our critical minerals industry here at home is vital to limiting our reliance on foreign adversaries for these resources.”
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