One Big Beautiful Bill Raises Stakes for U.S. Mineral Production

One Big Beautiful Bill Raises Stakes for U.S. Mineral Production

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) into law, ushering in major reforms to America’s tax code, immigration policy and national security strategy. As adversaries like China threaten the U.S. economy by restricting and suspending critical mineral exports, building a diverse and resilient domestic minerals production base is now a top priority. This landmark legislation channels billions into military spending, bolstering America’s defense capabilities and investing in next-generation technologies.

The bill includes tens of billions for military readiness, expanding spare parts reserves and improving military infrastructure, expanding America’s arsenal of munitions, expanding and improving America’s naval fleet and shipbuilding capacity, and bolstering our air and missile defense.

With billions now dedicated to military defense and preparedness, stable and secure access to the minerals required to build them is more important than ever – emphasizing the importance of passing mining-focused legislation in Congress in the coming months. Minerals are essential to defense production, from jet engines and drones to missile guidance systems and hundreds of other components vital to America’s national security.

And yet when it comes to the minerals our military needs, China dominates as a global supplier. The U.S. is 100 percent import reliant for 15 key minerals and more than 50 percent import reliant for another 31. Zeroing in on where the U.S. is getting minerals listed as “critical” by the USGS, China is the lead producing country for 30 of 44 critical minerals.

Our outsized import reliance isn’t for lack of domestic resources—we have abundant reserves right here at home. Yet significant, responsible projects—from Arizona’s Resolution Copper to Minnesota’s Twin Metals and even Alaska’s Ambler Access Project—remain trapped in the permitting process or subject to obstructive litigation tactics from mining critics.

What’s Next?

With so much potential in America’s domestic minerals production, the government must not only advance projects that are stuck in permitting, but must continue to provide incentives to promote and expand mining projects throughout the nation. While it contained incredibly valuable funding to shore up our supply chains, the One, Big, Beautiful Bill still included a phase-out of the 45x tax credit. In the end, the Senate stretched out the sunset originally proposed by the House, but Congress must do more work to invest in our mineral capabilities, revitalize our domestic minerals production and provide new economic opportunities across the nation.