[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3962 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3962

  To establish a comprehensive United States strategy to address the 
  national security threat posed by the People's Republic of China's 
control of nearly \2/3\ of the global supply of critical minerals, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 30, 2022

   Mr. Lankford (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Warner) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a comprehensive United States strategy to address the 
  national security threat posed by the People's Republic of China's 
control of nearly \2/3\ of the global supply of critical minerals, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Quad Critical Minerals Partnership 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The People's Republic of China is the global leader in 
        mining, refining, and component manufacturing of critical 
        minerals, producing approximately 85 percent of the world's 
        supply between 2011 and 2017.
            (2) In 2019, the United States imported an estimated 80 
        percent of its critical minerals from the People's Republic of 
        China.
            (3) On March 26, 2014, the World Trade Organization ruled 
        that the People's Republic of China's export restraints on 
        critical minerals violated its obligations under its protocol 
        of accession to the World Trade Organization, thereby harming 
        United States manufacturers and workers.
            (4) The Chinese Communist Party has threatened to leverage 
        the People's Republic of China's dominant position in the 
        critical minerals market to ``strike back'' at the United 
        States.
            (5) The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a strategic 
        security dialogue comprised of the United States, Australia, 
        Japan, and India that facilitates multilateral cooperation in 
        areas of shared interest to advance a free and open Indo-
        Pacific region.
            (6) The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is an effective 
        partnership for reliable multilateral financing, development, 
        and distribution of goods for global consumption, as evidenced 
        by the Quad Vaccine Partnership announced on March 12, 2021.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the People's Republic of China's dominant share of the 
        global critical minerals market is a threat to the economic 
        stability, well-being, and competitiveness of key industries in 
        the United States;
            (2) the United States should reduce reliance on the 
        People's Republic of China for critical minerals through--
                    (A) strategic investments in development projects, 
                production technologies, and refining facilities in the 
                United States; or
                    (B) in partnership with strategic allies of the 
                United States that are reliable trading partners, 
                including members of the Quadrilateral Security 
                Dialogue;
            (3) the United States International Development Finance 
        Corporation should collaborate with its counterpart entities in 
        Japan, Australia, and India to finance a more reliable and 
        secure supply chain of critical minerals; and
            (4) the United States Trade Representative should initiate 
        multilateral talks among the countries of the Quadrilateral 
        Security Dialogue to promote shared investment and development 
        of critical minerals.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to pursue a more reliable and secure supply chain of 
        critical minerals;
            (2) to reduce reliance on the People's Republic of China 
        for critical minerals; and
            (3) to partner, consult, and coordinate with the 
        governments of the countries in the Quadrilateral Security 
        Dialogue in a concerted effort to make significant strategic 
        investments in development projects, production technologies, 
        and refining facilities for critical minerals.

SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY.

    (a) In General.--The President shall establish a comprehensive 
strategy to address the national security threat posed by the People's 
Republic of China's control of nearly \2/3\ of the global supply of 
critical minerals by developing a more reliable and secure supply chain 
of critical minerals.
    (b) Elements.--The strategy required by subsection (a) shall 
include efforts to develop a more reliable and secure supply chain of 
critical minerals, including the following:
            (1) Plans to partner, consult, and coordinate with the 
        governments of the other countries in the Quadrilateral 
        Security Dialogue in a concerted effort to make significant 
        strategic investments in development projects, production 
        technologies, and refining facilities.
            (2) A strategy to leverage the partnership of the United 
        States International Development Finance Corporation and its 
        counterpart entities in those countries.
            (3) A strategy to decrease trade barriers for the 
        development, production, refinement, and shipment of critical 
        minerals among those countries.
    (c) Report Required.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report on the strategy 
        required by subsection (a).
            (2) Elements.--The report required in paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) a description of the extent of the engagement 
                of the United States International Development Finance 
                Corporation with the governments of the other countries 
                of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to promote 
                shared investment and development of critical minerals; 
                and
                    (B) a description of the work of the United States 
                Trade Representative to engage with the government of 
                those countries to decrease trade barriers for the 
                development, production, refinement, and transportation 
                of critical minerals.
    (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Finance, the Committee on Foreign 
        Relations, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
        the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of 
        the House of Representatives.

SEC. 6. PRIORITIZATION OF SUPPORT BY UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL 
              DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION.

    The United States International Development Finance Corporation 
shall prioritize providing support under title II of the Better 
Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018 (22 
U.S.C. 9621 et seq.) for development projects, production technologies, 
and refining facilities for critical minerals that the Corporation 
determines will--
            (1) contribute to the development of a more reliable and 
        secure supply chain of critical minerals;
            (2) reduce reliance on the People's Republic of China for 
        critical minerals; and
            (3) facilitate cooperation with the governments of the 
        other countries in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in a 
        concerted effort to make significant strategic investments in 
        development projects, production technologies, and refining 
        facilities for critical minerals.

SEC. 7. INITIATION OF MULTILATERAL DISCUSSIONS BY UNITED STATES TRADE 
              REPRESENTATIVE.

    The United States Trade Representative shall initiate multilateral 
discussions with the governments of the other countries in the 
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue for the purpose of--
            (1) developing a more reliable and secure supply chain of 
        critical minerals;
            (2) reducing reliance on the People's Republic of China for 
        critical minerals; and
            (3) facilitating cooperation with those governments in a 
        concerted effort to make significant strategic investments in 
        development projects, production technologies, and refining 
        facilities for critical minerals.

SEC. 8. DEFINITION OF CRITICAL MINERAL.

    In this Act, the term ``critical mineral'' has the meaning given 
that term in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (division Z of 
Public Law 116-260; 30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
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