[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 117 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S3464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1994. Mr. KENNEDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. REPORT ON SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES FOR RARE EARTH
MATERIALS.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Administrator of the Defense Logistics Agency,
in coordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Industrial Policy, shall submit a report to
Congress assessing issues relating to the supply chain for
rare earth materials. Such report shall include the
following:
(1) An assessment of the rare earth materials in the
reserves held by the United States.
(2) A estimate of the needs of the United States for rare
earth materials--
(A) in general; and
(B) to support a major near-peer conflict as described in
war game scenarios in the 2018 National Defense Strategy.
(3) An assessment of the extent to which substitutes for
rare earth materials are available.
(4) A strategy or plan to encourage the use of rare earth
materials mined, refined, processed, melted, or sintered in
the United States, or from trusted allies, including an
assessment of the best acquisition practices (which shall
include an analysis of best value contracting methods) to
ensure the viability of trusted suppliers of rare earth
materials to meet national security needs.
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