[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3605-S3606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6479. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2027 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 end of subtitle E of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1271. REPORTING ON AND STRATEGY WITH RESPECT TO LOBITO
CORRIDOR.
(a) Establishment of Regular Reporting to Congress on
United States Investment in Lobito Corridor.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until
2031, the President should submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report on investment by the United
States in the Lobito Corridor.
(2) Elements.--Each report required by subsection (a) shall
include--
(A) an update on the progress of the Lobito Corridor
infrastructure project that includes consolidated and up-to-
date information from the Department of State, the United
States International Development Finance Corporation, and the
Trade and Development Agency;
(B) a strategy for United States investment in the Lobito
Corridor infrastructure project and the interagency
coordination underway with respect to the project;
(C) a specification of the source and amount of funds that
have been obligated by the United States International
Development Finance Corporation, the Trade and Development
Agency, and other relevant Federal agencies to support the
Lobito Corridor infrastructure project;
(D) documentation of foreign assistance provided by the
United States to ensure the completion of the Lobito Corridor
infrastructure project;
(E) an overview of United States coordination and
investments co-financed with allies and partners and relevant
multilateral financial institutions in the Lobito Corridor;
(F) a strategic communications plan that--
(i) describes in detail--
(I) the United States investments in the Lobito Corridor
within Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
Zambia; and
(II) how each such investment benefits the people of the
United States and the people of the country in which the
investment is made; and
(ii) includes detailed data figures on how the United
States investments in the Lobito Corridor--
(I) have increased, and are anticipated to increase, the
access of the United States to critical minerals; and
(II) have strengthened regional supply chains;
(G) a review of how the Government of the People's Republic
of China has implemented critical infrastructure projects in
Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia that
have led to social and environmental degradation and that
could impede United States economic and strategic goals for
the Lobito Corridor;
(H) an assessment of--
(i) the long-term feasibility of United States investment
in the Lobito Corridor and how such investment advances
United States geostrategic goals; and
(ii) the national security implications of the United
States investing in critical mineral infrastructure in
Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia; and
(I) a list of meetings and other engagements United States
Government personnel have had with representatives of the
governments of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
and Zambia with respect to the feasibility and functionality
of the Lobito Corridor.
(b) Strategy on Critical Minerals Refining, Processing, and
Tracing.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the
Secretary of State, in consultation with the Chief Executive
Officer of the United States International Development
Finance Corporation and the Director of the Trade and
Development Agency, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a strategy on the responsible
sourcing, mining, refining, processing, and tracing of
critical minerals resources that includes--
(1) details on which critical minerals are available for
extraction in Angola, provided through the United States
Geological Survey;
(2) an assessment of--
[[Page S3606]]
(A) the capacity of critical minerals in Angola to advance
the national security goals of the United States;
(B) the feasibility of mid-stream mineral refinement and
processing in Angola;
(C) the potential for the United States to partner with the
governments of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
and Zambia with respect to critical minerals tracing and
transparency;
(D) the necessary diplomatic and logistical measures needed
to ensure there is an operable and transparent environment
for critical minerals to be transported through the Lobito
Corridor from Zambia, through the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, and to Angola;
(E) the effectiveness of United States investment in the
Lobito Corridor and the return on investment garnered through
specific projects connected to the Lobito Corridor; and
(3) details of the strategy of the United States to enter
into offtake agreements with Angola, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, and Zambia to ensure critical minerals
retrieved through such agreements end up in the United
States, which should include--
(A) strategic competition safeguards that--
(i) diminish the reliance of Angola, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and Zambia on adversaries, such as the
People's Republic of China; and
(ii) prevent the People's Republic of China from utilizing
supply chains, railways, and ports funded by the United
States for the benefit of the People's Republic of China; and
(B) responsible sourcing, tracing, and accountability
measures to address corruption, labor violations, and
environmental degradation in areas in which United States
investment is supporting the development of the Lobito
Corridor.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committees on Natural Resources, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives.
(2) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical mineral'' has
the meaning given that term in section 7002(a) of the Energy
Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
(3) Lobito corridor.--The term ``Lobito Corridor'' means
the railway connecting Angola, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, and Zambia.
(4) Lobito corridor infrastructure project.--The term
``Lobito Corridor infrastructure project'' means the
infrastructure project to rehabilitate the Lobito Corridor to
facilitate the transportation of critical minerals.
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