[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 11, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2150-H2154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1100
SECURING AMERICA'S CRITICAL MINERALS SUPPLY ACT
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1057, I
call up the bill (H.R. 3617) to amend the Department of Energy
Organization Act to secure the supply of critical energy resources,
including critical minerals and other materials, and for other
purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1057, the
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, printed in the bill, is adopted and the bill, as
amended, is considered read.
The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:
H.R. 3617
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 ``Securing America's Critical
Minerals Supply Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ORGANIZATION
ACT.
The Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7101
et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 2, by adding at the end the following:
``(d) As used in sections 102(20) and 203(a)(12), the term
`critical energy resource' means any energy resource--
``(1) that is essential to the energy sector and energy
systems of the United States; and
``(2) the supply chain of which is vulnerable to
disruption.'';
(2) in section 102, by adding at the end the following:
``(20) To ensure there is an adequate and reliable supply
of critical energy resources that are essential to the energy
security of the United States.''; and
(3) in section 203(a), by adding at the end the following:
``(12) Functions that relate to securing the supply of
critical energy resources, including identifying and
mitigating the effects of a disruption of such supply on--
``(A) the development and use of energy technologies; and
``(B) the operation of energy systems.''.
SEC. 3. SECURING CRITICAL ENERGY RESOURCE SUPPLY CHAINS.
(a) In General.--In carrying out the requirements of the
Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7101 et
seq.), the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the
appropriate Federal agencies, representatives of the energy
sector, States, and other stakeholders, shall--
(1) conduct ongoing assessments of--
(A) energy resource criticality, based on the importance of
critical energy resources to the development of energy
technologies and the supply of energy;
(B) the critical energy resource supply chain of the United
States;
(C) the vulnerability of such supply chain;
(D) the diversity of domestic critical energy resource
supply chains in the United States, including the extent to
which such diversity is sufficient to prevent monopolistic
behavior, a single point of failure, or market manipulation;
(E) capacity constraints on the domestic production of
critical energy resources, including any such constraint
caused by a shortage of material or labor;
(F) Federal regulations affecting the domestic production
or importation of critical energy resources;
(G) how the energy security of the United States is
affected by the reliance of the United States on importation
of critical energy resources; and
(H) how adversarial nations seek to exploit critical energy
resource markets to undermine investment in the United
States, which may include the extent to which adversarial
nations employ anti-competitive practices, price
manipulation, or human rights abuses in critical energy
resource production and exportation;
(2) facilitate development of strategies to strengthen
critical energy resource supply chains in the United States,
including by--
(A) diversifying the sources of the supply of critical
energy resources; and
(B) increasing domestic production, separation, and
processing of critical energy resources;
(3) develop substitutes and alternatives to critical energy
resources; and
(4) improve technology that reuses and recycles critical
energy resources.
(b) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall submit
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a report on the status of the
assessments under subsection (a)(1), including a description
of any regulation prescribed, guidance issued, or other
action taken as a result of such an assessment.
(c) Critical Energy Resource Defined.--In this section, the
term ``critical energy resource'' has the meaning given such
term in section 2 of the Department of Energy Organization
Act (42 U.S.C. 7101).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for
1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking
minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their
respective designees.
The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber) and the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).
General Leave
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 3617.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3617, the Securing America's
Critical Minerals Supply Act, introduced by Representative John James,
my colleague and member of the Energy and Commerce Committee from
Michigan's 10th Congressional District.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation enhances the Department of Energy's
ability to assess, to identify, as well as address vulnerabilities in
the supply chain for energy resources that are absolutely essential to
the economic and national security of these United States of America.
When the Department of Energy was organized in 1977, Mr. Speaker, the
American people were suffering from the energy security fallout of
OPEC's oil embargoes. You may remember prices went up, gas lines
formed, and our Nation's economy was threatened because adversarial
nations took advantage of U.S. reliance on energy imports for their own
interests, Mr. Speaker.
Ultimately, the answer to energy security concerns was advancing
United States' production and unleashing American energy dominance. Now
the United States is the premier oil-producing nation on this planet.
Today, we find ourselves, Mr. Speaker, in a similar disadvantaged
position. An adversarial nation controls the access to key resources,
as well as retains the ability to restrict American imports at will,
threatening to bring the American economy to its knees. Instead of oil,
it is critical minerals. It is rare earth elements, and it is energy
resources that are essential to the daily lives of the hardworking
Americans as well as a linchpin to the next-generation economy.
These resources, Mr. Speaker, are absolutely required in virtually
everything we need to compete as well as defend our country from
foreign threats: semiconductors, nuclear reactors, oil and gas
infrastructure, the transmission system, and military weaponry, just to
name a few.
Make no mistake about it, Communist China knows this and is taking
advantage of it. The numbers are absolutely staggering. Communist China
produces 60 percent of the world's rare earths and 90 percent of the
respective processing capacity, along with 80 percent of the processing
capacity for critical minerals, and the vast majority, the production,
for at least 50 more critical minerals.
The Chinese wield this authority through export controls to disrupt
supply chains as well as market manipulation tactics to ensure no
investments flow into these job-creating industries.
Almost 50 years later, the answer to this problem lies in our ability
to reshore essential energy production as well as refining facilities
that can absolutely compete with our adversaries.
Importantly, Mr. Speaker, the Trump administration has prioritized
opportunities to combat undue influence from those same adversaries.
For instance, last week, the United States and the United Kingdom
signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation
between the countries on critical minerals, supply chains, and working
to develop their critical mineral accessibility away from China.
In addition, the Department of Energy's recent organizational
realignment established the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy
Innovation to fortify American supply chains that are essential to a
reliable, affordable, and resilient energy industry.
H.R. 3617, Mr. Speaker, will absolutely enhance the work being done
by the Trump Administration by
[[Page H2151]]
leveraging the expertise of the Department of Energy, to secure our
supplies of critical energy resources.
We know what is at stake with the next-generation economy: cutting-
edge technologies, like AI and advanced manufacturing, hold tremendous
promise to lift up communities across the country with stable, good-
paying jobs, while lowering costs for hardworking families.
Mr. Speaker, the Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act
takes an important step towards solidifying the U.S. position as a
global leader in economies and technologies of the future.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, at a time when American families are struggling to make
ends meet, as costs for healthcare, energy, housing, education, and
groceries are skyrocketing, House Republicans are wasting floor time on
a bill that does absolutely nothing to provide any relief.
To make matters worse, this bill does not help Americans address the
critical mineral supply. It just props up polluting fossil fuels at the
expense of cheaper and cleaner energy technologies.
Critical minerals are a critical component of many modern
technologies, from our cell phones to solar panels to electric
vehicles. The demand for these minerals will only increase as the world
continues in transition to clean energy. We must strengthen our
domestic production, processing, and recycling capabilities as well as
cement relationships with our allies to access new critical mineral
supplies.
Democrats were in the process of doing exactly this with the
bipartisan infrastructure law that included $3 billion for battery
manufacturing and recycling, to build out a circular and sufficient
supply chain that reuses critical minerals instead of letting them
waste away in landfills. Instead of building on this important work,
Republicans took a sledgehammer to these investments. Their big, ugly
bill repealed vital clean energy tax credits and programs and canceled
billions of dollars in projects that would have helped with critical
mineral supply.
The Trump administration also shut down the Office of Manufacturing
and Energy Supply Chains, the office Congress created to lead a lot of
the clean energy and critical mineral supply chain work. The
administration also canceled more than $700 million in battery and
manufacturing grants that that office had issued.
Now, this is extremely harmful to our economy and to families'
monthly power bills because the rest of the world, particularly China,
is making the necessary investments in the clean energy transition. In
2022 alone, China installed roughly as much solar capacity as the rest
of the world combined. China controls more than 70 percent of the
world's battery manufacturing capacity.
Today we rely on imports of minerals such as cobalt, lithium, and
graphite that are integral components of clean energy technology. China
controls around 80 percent of the world's processing capacity for these
critical minerals, posing serious national economic and energy security
risks.
We should all be concerned about securing domestic critical mineral
supply chains, but this bill does not solve the problem. In fact, it
would only risk diluting resources away from critical mineral supply
chains and toward fossil fuels.
The only mention of critical minerals in this bill starts and ends
with its title. Instead, it focuses on critical energy resources, which
is defined as any energy resource that is essential to the energy
sector.
This overly broad language will inevitably result in additional
resources spent on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas at the
expense of actual critical mineral and clean energy supply chains.
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With this bill, Republicans are handing the Trump administration yet
another tool to prop up polluting fossil fuels at the expense of
cheaper and cleaner energy technologies.
If Republicans truly want to be competitive with China, canceling
clean energy projects that drive market demand is not the solution.
Under Trump's watch, we have lost more than $30 billion in American
manufacturing investments.
Mr. Speaker, electricity prices are rising across the country,
including in my State of New Jersey. Americans are going into debt to
heat their homes this winter. President Trump has failed on his day one
promise to bring down prices for American families. Instead, his big,
ugly bill is projected to increase electricity prices by an additional
61 percent.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I hear from my constituents every day that
affordability is their top concern. Yet, today we are here debating yet
another Republican energy bill that would do nothing to lower prices
for Americans. Frankly, I think it is a shame.
My concern is that with this bill, Republicans continue to ignore the
affordability crisis while they give the Department of Energy new
authority which they will use to give more support to their oil and gas
buddies.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Michigan (Mr. James).
Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas whose
devastating good looks are only exceeded by his patriotism and sense of
humor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advance a transformative vision for our
Nation's energy future through my bill, the Securing America's Critical
Minerals Supply Act.
This legislation is a bold and necessary step to ensure that the
United States leads the world in energy innovation, security, and
independence. At a time when global supply chains are increasingly
weaponized and controlled by foreign adversaries, America cannot afford
complacency.
The Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act redefines the
term ``critical energy resource'' to provide the Department of Energy
with a clear and unmistakable mandate: Secure the minerals essential to
powering our energy sector and lowering costs for Americans.
This first step ensures the Department remains squarely focused on
protecting and strengthening our Nation's critical energy resources,
while making sure Americans are able to put more money in their
pockets.
Mr. Speaker, this bill could not come at a more important time.
Today, China controls more than 90 percent of global rare earth
refining capacity. Russia maintains roughly 44 percent of the world's
uranium enrichment capacity and supplies a significant share of nuclear
fuel imports to the United States. These are not just economic
statistics; they are strategic vulnerabilities.
If we are serious about an all-of-the-above energy strategy, then we
must secure the minerals that make those technologies possible.
Mr. Speaker, this is where Michigan comes into focus. Michigan's
geology is rich with opportunity. The Upper Peninsula, in particular,
holds significant deposits of copper, nickel, cobalt, and platinum
group metals, minerals essential for defense technologies and next-
generation energy systems. For more than a century, the Upper Peninsula
helped power America's industrial rise. Today, it still possesses the
potential to power America's energy future.
Researchers at Western Michigan University are actively working to
map and evaluate Michigan's critical mineral potential, preserving and
analyzing decades of geological data to better understand what
resources lie beneath our soil. Their work demonstrates that Michigan
is not just a part of the conversation. We are the solution, and we
will continue to lead.
Mr. Speaker, strengthening domestic critical mineral production is
not just about national security. It is about economic revival. By
unlocking responsible--responsible--development of critical minerals in
the Upper Peninsula, we can create good-paying jobs, attract investment
back to Michigan, strengthen local supply chains, and bring new life to
communities that have long contributed to America's prosperity.
Boosting domestic mineral production means boosting Michigan's
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economy, supporting miners, engineers, small businesses, and families
across our State.
My legislation directs the Department of Energy to conduct ongoing
assessments of supply chain vulnerabilities, develop strategies to
strengthen domestic production, and invest in innovative technologies
that expand American mineral independence. It equips our Nation to
counter anticompetitive tactics and human rights abuses in global
markets while ensuring our own energy systems are resilient, secure,
and self-reliant.
This is about unleashing American energy. This is about reshoring and
reindustrializing American manufacturing. This is about reducing
dependence on foreign dictators and despots. For Michigan, it is about
harnessing the full economic potential of both of our great and strong
peninsulas.
The Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act is a cornerstone
for building an energy-independent America, one powered by American
workers, American resources, American ingenuity, and Michigan grit.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join
me in unleashing the full potential of America's energy might.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), who is the ranking member of the
Energy Subcommittee.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for
yielding the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3617. I wish we were here
discussing how we could lower the cost of living. I wish in the Energy
and Commerce Committee, where we are controlling the time, we could
discuss a bill that will lower electricity prices for our neighbors
back home. Or even as the title of this bill suggests, it is related to
critical minerals, but when you read the bill, Mr. Speaker, the text of
the bill, there is nothing related to critical minerals. It is kind of
a sneaky little bill.
Actually, if we pass this bill, it is quite likely that energy bills
and electricity bills are going to go up. It is likely that this will
lead to higher costs across the entire economy. Electric bills are
already sky-high.
American families last year were suffering from, on average, about 13
percent increases in their electric bills. They were much higher in
many places across the country.
In Florida, they passed along a $6 billion rate increase. They were
calling it the largest rate increase and the highest rate increase in
the history of the country.
What have we seen out of this administration?
We have seen just the sabotage of affordable, reliable, clean, and
cheaper energy coming onto the grid, and now this.
This is an important topic. I have gained a little bit of knowledge
not just from the Energy and Commerce Committee, but I serve on the
bipartisan Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the
United States and the Chinese Communist Party. My colleague, Republican
Rob Wittman, and I led a critical minerals working group in the last
Congress.
It is clear the United States is way too reliant on China. Beijing
has weaponized the critical mineral supply chain. That is why Democrats
leaned into it and passed important policies in the bipartisan
infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act to spur domestic
manufacturing and policies that enabled us to work with our partners
and allies across the globe to counter China. We didn't do anything
like threaten Greenland or insult Canada. We thought it was important
to work together to counter all of the coercion from the Chinese
Communist Party.
There have been major investments in domestic critical mineral supply
chains, breaking the dependence on China. The United States energy
sector relies on a broad portfolio of critical minerals, so we have to
have a resilient supply chain for the advanced technologies and the
innovation in energy generation, storage, and transmission.
The International Energy Agency estimates that mineral demand for
clean energy technology will almost triple by 2030 and quadruple by
2024. Therefore, the development of diverse, resilient, and sustainable
critical mineral supply chains, free from Chinese Communist Party
influence, will be fundamental.
However, this bill just doesn't do it. As I said before, it is a
sneaky, sneaky little bill.
It was introduced the last Congress. It hasn't gone anywhere because
it doesn't solve any problem. It doesn't get to the heart of the
matter.
Mr. Speaker, if you look at what they want to do, they say: We are
going to amend the Department of Energy's mission to include securing
the supply of critical energy resources--not minerals--and it directs
the DOE to conduct ongoing assessments to develop strategies to
strengthen critical energy resource supply chains--not minerals.
Again, this vague definition risks diverting resources away from
critical minerals actually and towards--and here is where we will yank
the curtain back on what this really is about. It is about everything
that this administration has done to serve the fossil fuel industry,
the dirty fuel industry, from canceling clean energy projects that
would help lower electric bills that would bring cleaner and cheaper
resources onto the grid, projects like offshore wind that is fully
permitted and ready to go and provide resources we can rely on during
winter storms.
This administration has canceled large-scale transmission projects to
help bring the additional load we need onto the transmission system,
just to make the grid more resilient in America as we suffer through
these extreme weather events.
{time} 1440
We cannot afford these diversions. We cannot afford the Republicans
continuing to sabotage cleaner, cheaper energy in America. This kind of
sneaky maneuver reminds me of what they have done on tariffs this
entire Congress that we finally overcame.
Everyone kind of understands now that they are paying more at the
grocery store because of the President's arbitrary tariffs. I know he
likes to say: Oh, other countries are going to pay these tariffs, but
all of the experts, everyone knows, prices are higher because of these
import taxes.
In fact, tariffs are at their highest level in about 100 years. That
is how high they are. The Budget Lab at Yale says on average households
are paying probably $1,700 more than they would have without these
crazy tariffs that the President wields like a tool of retribution and
fear.
That is not how you--you have got to keep the American people and
their pocketbooks central rather than you are threatening Greenland. He
has to have Greenland. He is going to insult Canada and put tariffs on
Canada.
Thankfully, later this afternoon, we are going to debate and try to
remove some of these arbitrary added taxes on the American people and
lower the cost of living. That is why your shoes, your clothes, and,
yes, electric equipment and metals are costing more right now. It is
costing everybody way too much more.
Here is what they did here in the House of Representatives. They
actually said: We are not going to be able to debate a removal of
tariffs in the House of Representatives, the people's House. They were
able to get away with it for a year, almost a year after the
President's liberation day. They snuck it into a rule so we wouldn't
have any debate on the high cost of living driven by these import
taxes.
Well, last night, late last night in the House of Representatives--
while you were probably watching ice skating in the Olympics--because
three brave Republicans crossed over and joined all of the Democrats,
we are going to have that debate.
We are going to have that vote because what is central to people's
lives right now is their pocketbooks. They are just being hammered, not
just by their electric bills, but also their grocery bills and
everything they buy.
We have a responsibility in this House to look out for the people
back home rather than serve the special interests. This Congress has
been all about serving the special interests, and that includes the
folks who really are pushing this bill.
It is not about critical minerals. If it were, then it would actually
be in the text of the bill, but it is not. It is about, again, giving a
gift to political supporters, the polluters who are running the show
and the agencies that have all too much influence here in the Halls of
Congress while electricity
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prices are up well over 13 percent and 80 million Americans are
struggling to pay their electric bills. I say Americans deserve a whole
lot better. They deserve a whole lot better than what they are getting
from this Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat this sneaky little bill,
and let's get on to the debate on how we improve the cost of living and
serve the people who sent us here.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Palmer).
Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I want to address some of the things my
Democratic colleagues have said. They are really high on China. They
look at China as a model for America. Apparently, they like how they do
their economy. They like their energy production.
I would just like to point out, Statistical Review of World Energy
reports that coal accounted for 58 percent of China's energy. Oil was
at 20 percent, and natural gas was at 10 percent. Some of my colleagues
struggle with math. I will just add that up for them. That is 88
percent of their energy production comes from hydrocarbon sources. That
means that the remaining 12 percent came from hydroelectric, solar, or
wind.
What is interesting about this is they make it seem as though China
is just dominating the world in renewable energy production. That is
approximately the same amount of renewable energy production as the
United States. It doesn't sound like the model.
I also wanted to point out--because they keep talking about higher
energy costs--the increase in energy costs has occurred in the States
with the most stringent requirements for renewable energy: California,
New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut. That is where energy
costs have gone up the most. That is where people are struggling the
most to pay their energy bills.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak in support of H.R. 3617,
introduced by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. James), my friend and
colleague. If the United States hasn't learned anything else from the
war in Ukraine, it should be this, this is a fundamental principle: No
nation, let alone America, should be reliant on adversarial nations for
energy and refined materials, critical minerals, rare earth elements
that would threaten our economy and threaten our national security, but
that is where we find ourselves and where we put ourselves in terms of
access to critical minerals, processed and refined critical minerals.
H.R. 3617 addresses this. It is a crucial challenge facing the United
States today, how to decouple and derisk ourselves from China and other
foreign adversaries and build resilient, secure, domestic energy and
critical mineral supply chains?
Our country is blessed with an abundance of energy and critical
mineral resources that are a linchpin to our economy. They are a
linchpin to our national security and a linchpin to the new and
emerging energy technologies that we are trying to develop here.
Yet we are stuck under the thumb of Communist China, who exerts their
dominance over energy supply chains, critical mineral supply chains to
undermine U.S. interests. This is not a new issue, but one that has
grown over the last several decades.
The United States used to be a leading producer and refiner of many
critical minerals and rare earth elements. We developed the technology
to refine rare earth elements, to produce magnets that are critical in
our economy and to our national security.
By the late 1990s, most of that industry, especially refining, went
overseas. This trend has led us to where we are today. The United
States is now almost 100 percent import reliant on a dozen critical
minerals and heavily reliant on imports for more than half of all
critical minerals.
The challenge we face today is exacerbated by burdensome permitting
processes and regulations, uncertainty in commodity pricing, and market
manipulation by Communist China.
A few years ago, I launched the Western Hemisphere Prosperity and
Security Alliance as a soft power alternative to China. The Western
Hemisphere Prosperity and Security Alliance could help us shed our
dependence on Communist China when it comes to these critical
resources.
H.R. 3617 directs the Secretary of Energy to coordinate with industry
and relevant stakeholders to identify ways to diversify domestic
critical energy resources and supply chains.
As part of that assessment, the DOE Secretary will assess how Federal
regulations may be affecting domestic production of critical energy
resources and minerals and how adversarial nations seek to exploit
those markets to undermine investment in the United States.
Solving this issue is paramount, and we must address it before we are
too late. Critical minerals and their supply chains are vital. We
cannot allow the prosperity of future generations to be dictated by
adversarial nations.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to keep America at the forefront of
the next generation's economy and support H.R. 3617.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Landsman), a member of our committee.
Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Speaker, America has become unaffordable for so
many Americans. Many families, if not most families, are now struggling
to pay their bills, including their electric bills. Congress should be
focused entirely on lowering costs.
The bill does not do that, unfortunately. It is not about securing
critical minerals. It gives the Department of Energy broad, open-ended,
authority that this administration has already used to roll back
environmental protections, cancel energy projects, and drive costs up.
The bill would be a win for coal and natural gas, not American
ratepayers. For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a
motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules
permitted, I would have offered that motion with an important
amendment.
My amendment is straightforward. The bill would not take effect until
at least the Secretary of Energy certifies that the tariffs imposed
after January 20 are not increasing costs and not disrupting the supply
chain for critical minerals while, unfortunately, they, of course, are
doing both those things.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of this
amendment into the Record immediately prior to the motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Crawford). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the motion
to recommit.
{time} 1450
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, it is a shame. Instead of trying to score political
points, the Democrats should support our efforts to address supply
chain vulnerabilities that Communist China actively exploits to the
detriment of these American people that we serve.
Mr. Speaker, the intent of this bill is for the Department of Energy
to take a holistic view of resources that are critical to the economic
as well as the national security of the United States, regardless of
the application.
Mr. Speaker, this bill establishes DOE's overarching responsibility
for the security of the supply chains of the energy sector. When the
Department of Energy was organized in 1977, energy security was a core
concern as a result of the oil crisis in the seventies.
I was a teenager back then. I remember waiting in lines to get
gasoline. Now, we face similar threats amidst the development of next-
generation industries like AI as well as advanced manufacturing.
Mr. Speaker, after decades of degrowth policies that drove energy
production and refining abroad, our adversaries have exploited
vulnerabilities and left American families susceptible to actions from
places like Communist China.
We have already seen Communist China take steps to limit exports of
minerals, such as antimony, that are essential to defense manufacturing
for things like radar systems.
Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are focused on all critical
energy resources, including critical minerals. Similarly, the Trump
administration has announced substantial
[[Page H2154]]
funding opportunities for critical mineral development touching every
part of the supply chain, including mapping, mining, refining, and even
recycling.
This bill mirrors the administration's momentum on critical mineral
policy and will further focus the Department of Energy on developing
that very sector.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3617. I think it is
important to provide a little perspective here. At a time when
Americans are struggling to afford their electricity bills, we are
wasting floor time debating a bill that will not even meaningfully
improve our critical mineral supply chains.
In fact, this bill is just a retread from last Congress. That is
right. The Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act, so-called,
was included in House Republicans' polluters over people act last
Congress, a bill that sold the American people out to corporate
polluters.
Here we are again, debating the same old bill because Republicans
have no new ideas. H.R. 3617 is merely a distraction from the fact that
they have no real plans to address issues that are important to
Americans, like their increasingly unaffordable electricity bills.
My Republican colleagues need to start taking the affordability
crisis facing the American people seriously. Eighty million Americans
are struggling to pay their utility bills. Electricity prices are
rising more than twice as fast as inflation across the country.
Families are having to choose between paying for housing, medicine,
food, or keeping their lights on. It is just unacceptable.
As elected officials, we have a responsibility to address this issue.
We must address this because hardworking Americans are in desperate
need of relief.
Yet, to President Trump and his Republican accomplices, the
affordability crisis is just a made-up scam. That is what the President
says. I have said it before, but it is worth repeating: Republicans'
big, ugly bill will raise electricity prices by a staggering 61
percent, and the American people are hurting because of President
Trump's policies.
We should be focused on advancing bipartisan legislation to end this
affordability crisis, not a bill that seeks to provide additional
support for the fossil fuel industry under the guise of supporting
critical minerals. Republicans would rather spend precious floor time
on a bill to support their fossil fuel friends instead of supporting
the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I urge
opposition to the legislation.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3617 is important. You can't make this stuff up,
what they are saying across the aisle.
H.R. 3617 is important to securing our critical energy resource
supply chains and eliminating our dependence on foreign adversaries
like we have been talking about, Communist Red China.
This bill takes a holistic approach, Mr. Speaker, in ensuring
vulnerable supply chains, impacting absolutely every single corner of
the United States' energy sector, are addressed by the Department of
Energy, and its passage is vital to their success.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3617
and vote ``yes.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 1057, the previous question is ordered
on the bill, as amended.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
Motion to Recommit
Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to
recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Landsman of Ohio moves to recommit the bill H.R. 3617
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
The material previously referred to by Mr. Landsman is as follows:
Mr. Landsman moves to recommit the bill H.R. 3617 to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce with instructions to report
the same back to the House forthwith, with the following
amendment:
Add at the end the following:
SEC. 4. CERTIFICATION.
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall not
take effect until the date on which the Secretary of Energy
publishes a certification that tariffs issued after January
20, 2025, are not increasing costs and contributing to supply
chain disruptions for critical energy resources.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX, the
previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. LANDSMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
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