As the U.S. competes for essential tech metals, calls for establishing a “critical minerals czar” (or special envoy or task force) are plentiful and palpable, and this should be a priority of the Trump administration. We need someone with the requisite authority to coordinate the full apparatus of the U.S. government to secure lithium, cobalt, tungsten, and dozens of critical and rare earth elements at home and abroad.
Vice President JD Vance—who has been a strong proponent of shoring up domestic manufacturing—is a prime choice to lead a national strategy as critical minerals czar and apply the full force of U.S. diplomacy, trade, and national security to this once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop minerals reserves overseas. From the White House, he could usher a playbook for shoring up the industrial base and support U.S. mining companies in their active pursuits of foreign land concessions and processing opportunities.
U.S. progress in establishing a critical minerals supply chain independent of China is stymied by several factors, including a lack of harmonization among multiple government agencies to produce tangible commercial outcomes, in addition to the lack of follow-up and tangible results from the numerous agreements that the United States has signed with allied countries hosting key critical minerals deposits.
The vice president is uniquely perched across the executive branch. For critical minerals, cooperation among the Departments of Defense, State, Commerce, Energy, and Interior, could enhance U.S. competitiveness and coordinate domestic policy with diplomacy and trade advocacy. Directing this interagency collaboration could achieve practical outcomes in securing and managing critical mineral resources.
Vance has demonstrated a keen understanding of economic and industrial policies, emphasizing the need for a robust domestic manufacturing base. His advocacy for reducing dependence on foreign supply chains aligns with the objectives of strengthening the U.S. critical minerals sector. Vance’s support for initiatives such as the ONSHORE Act, which aims to bolster domestic manufacturing and secure supply chains, underscores his commitment to enhancing national resilience in critical industries.
Addressing the global nature of critical minerals supply requires robust international cooperation. The vice president’s diplomatic engagements position him to negotiate agreements with allied nations to develop a supply chain independent of adversarial influences. His recent discussions about strategic opportunities in Greenland highlight his proactive approach to securing alternative sources of critical minerals.
Another major issue is that China is pricing out prospective critical minerals producers globally, including in allied countries such as Australia, where as we are witnessing now, key critical minerals projects are put on “care and maintenance” when commodity prices fluctuate, which China exclusively controls in the case of several key minerals.
China’s dominance in the processing of critical minerals, including rare earths, poses significant challenges, including price manipulation and supply constraints. To mitigate these risks, establishing a global critical minerals task force made up of key supplier and consumer countries is essential. Vance’s leadership can facilitate the formation of such a coalition, promoting fair trade practices and enhancing supply chain resilience. This will enable a transparent spot market for critical minerals to be established.
By no means will this be an easy task. Many nations such as Japan and Korea rely heavily on China for their present supply of critical minerals. A global initiative to reduce China’s dominance of the sector may lead to reprisals by China in the form of further export bans, such as the recent prohibition of Chinese tungsten products to the United States.
Within the United States, prime contractors and large original equipment manufacturers that currently source materials from China may be reluctant to bear the pain of potentially higher prices in the short term. Historically, some U.S. companies have even lobbied against restrictions on imported critical minerals from China to avoid adversely affecting near-term bottom lines. At some point, U.S. manufacturers may have to accept that protracted export bans, materials shortages, and higher basket prices are unavoidable if China continues on its current path of dominating the global critical minerals supply chain. Notwithstanding U.S. policy, China’s dominance will erode U.S. options for critical metals.
The vice president can help unify how industry and the U.S. government responds. As critical minerals czar, he can bolster the U.S. critical minerals posture through a comprehensive plan to dominate and win.