US floats idea of launching critical minerals tariff probe
The US government is reportedly floating the idea of launching a tariff investigation into critical minerals imports, similar to what it has already done with copper.
Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that US President Donald Trump may be looking to carry out a critical minerals tariff probe, citing an unnamed White House official.
However, at this stage, it remains unclear when or if such an investigation will take place, and whether it will fall under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act like copper did, the official told Bloomberg.
A fact sheet accompanying Trump’s latest flurry of tariffs stated that these import duties would not apply to “certain minerals that are not available in the United States”, as well as “all articles that may become subject to future Section 232 tariffs.”
The US Geological Survey currently lists 50 different minerals that it considers to be critical to the US economy and national security; many of these minerals have no domestic production and are 100% reliant on imports.
The potential for such an action — referring to the US President’s ability to adjust imports under Section 232 — is why these minerals were excluded from Trump’s latest tariffs, the official said.
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at immediately addressing America’s critical minerals production needs by invoking the Defense Production Act to expand leasing and development on federal lands.
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40 Comments
Herman monster
Tariffs are good for the United States, other countries are takeing advantage of us.its time to do something about it
Michael R Tiller
Tell me you know nothing about tariffs without telling me….. follow blindly.
Jim
He’s making global free trade whether anyone wants it or not. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
Ian
Tariffs are the EXACT OPPOSITE of free trade. Take an economics class, man!
Brent DeBlois
Your spelling tells me you are not qualified as a person who should make comments about tariffs or anything else really
Deb
Bot.
Pete Meszaros
You have no idea how tariffs work.
Sit back and watch what it does to your economy🙄
Nancy e Adams
A tariff is paid by the US purchaser to the US govt. It is a TAX that the US purchaser of imported goods pays. The ony one taking advantage of the US purchaser is the US govt and Trump is behind it. He’s tryimg to ruin our Nation by increasing the size of the lower income segment of our population and growing the wealth of those in top 1% and the very wealthy. Just like Putin & the Communist Party have done to Russia. Just look at our grocery store shelves today. Looks just like videos of Russian food shortages on the 1990’s. Take a good look & think back to 1990’s Russia. We’re headed that way now. Thanks be to Comrade Trump.
Pete
Ah, the age-old trade-off: tariffs might ‘protect’ U.S. mining, but they risk burning bridges with allies we need most in the green energy race. Short-term gain, long-term pain? 🤷♂️⚡
Spike
The fact that you used the phrase “green energy race” invalidates any opinions you express. Literally no one is “racing” for green energy. It’s being imposed by authoritarian Marxists like yourself.
Noddy
Stupidity of trump of course we need to think green for the future of our grandchildren.
Kelvin
Of course, it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that the suppliers of these critical minerals may decide, in response, to impose export tariffs. These costs would then be passed onto the USA regardless, by increasing the price. It is also possible that suppliers may decide not to supply to the USA but find other markets instead.
Michael Sims
The latter most likely to occur. Since the US production of rare minerals is so low, it comes up as zero. The most likely scenario will be what China has just done. Stopped all exports of rare minerals to the US. Canada should follow suit, and do the same thing.
WR
Canada just needs to stop sending potash to the States.
Cousin It
What we want. Americans to buy American. The world to buy American. But Americans shouldn’t buy from outside America. Bring on tariffs. Stop buying our stuff. We don’t want your stuff. Who likes coffee anyway?
Uradipahit
You sound like a MAGA fool, that is the dumbest s**t I’ve read all week
M Dobrivic
Coffee? Africa possesses a significant share of global mineral reserves – including 92% of platinum, 56% of cobalt, 54% of manganese and 36% of chromium, 30% of mineral reserves. South Africa alone accounted for 43.9% of the world’s chromium production in 2022. Between 2016-2020 South Africa accounted for over 70% of global platinum production and over 80% of global iridium production. Gold exports were more than $40 billion in 2023. Diamonds of $6.5 billion were exported from Africa. Then there is the coffee, fruit, textiles etc. South Africa is the world’s 2nd biggest citrus exporter, the world’s 3rd biggest pecan exporter etc. I would say that Africa is not the stereotype dusty piece of useless land that the ignorant world wants to believe in.
Forrest B Koehler
I think our president is mentally unsound
FRANK RICHARD Cottis
Nto see a factual comment
Mystery
Why couldn’t other countries charge more for minerals including the Tarif so they are not loosing
Mkr
The exporting countries don’t pay the tariff that we impose on the products they send to the US. The importer pays the tariff, and subsequently has to sell the item for a higher price, so we the consumer essentially pay the tariffs. . This reduces the demand on the import because it is more expensive. To be absolutely clear, when another country charges a tariff on US goods, the US does not pay it, the importing country does.
Warwick Carter
Tarris are like putting your own balls in a vice,and starting to squeeze. It’s not pleasant for others in the room, but we’re not the ones in control.
Jlo
Trump is completely unhinged and knows nothing about economics
The US market is crashing, in two weeks you will enter a recession and within a month the USA will start to experience the beginning of a Great Depression just like the 1930s all due to the dumbest choices of one lunatic
Good luck America
Glad to be Canadian
JLo
The first and Second World War started with one country against the world both times they lost
The US will too
I feel for sure good American people
You are being lead by a tyrant that only cares about the rich and eventually will bankrupt your country
Frank
I am hoping my country hits them with everything possible to destabilize the USA
Sandor
I agree with those that say America is in quite obvious decline. Just a suggestion; add a new amendment to the United States Constitution where Congress can pass a bill declaring a sitting President mentally unsound to run a country, and so remove him from office. It would clearly save a lot of trouble.
Wade Buck
The 25th ammendment provides for that but the problem is that republicans would never vote for it.
James Balchin
Trump is in the the process of turning the U. S. into a pariah. Heis iff his rocker. Free trade has always led to more prosperity and better relations for everybody involved.
Karl Rommelmann
All cuontries affected from Trumps trade restrictions should stop exporting to the USA and look for ather word trading partners.I would then like to see what the senat has to say about Trump
David Kelly
Yeah,good idea
ProPete
Those concerned that merchandise trade deficits “rip off” the country with the deficit have it ass backwards. Individuals in the country running the so- called deficit receive actual physical goods, say BMWs from Germany or diamonds from Lesotho. The countries supplying them receive a promissory note that may or may not be worth something in the future. History is replete with cases where currencies collapsed or the “borrower” refused to pay after taking possession of the good- think of the tradesmen that worked on Trump Casinos.
Robert Denton
Trump admits here, that he uses tariffs for restraint of trade by saying he wouldn’t tax minerals if we need them, but have any.
John doyle
The world should boycott all American goods and not sell any rare minerals. Boycott the yanks just like Putin because Trump and Putin are in the same bed. It’s time to teach both a lesson
Cedric Roberts Jr
The fact that people on the left are, making comments about people on the right not being educated and or qualified to be speaking on tariffs is the reason. Trump the chump is in power now. How dare you guys. think you know it all or have all the answers. It only takes common sense to see that the international playing field is not good for us and no had the guts to really do anything about it. Why they don’t have the guts its simple and this is for the people on the right its because in order to fix this mess we are in for a world of hurt. It hasn’t hit yet but it’s coming and when it does were all going to feel it. They question is will we see it through because we will all do the heavy lifting for our future generations to reap the benefits. And it won’t happen with out the right leadership and it has to be done together as 1 people 1 land. And even though Trump had the nut sack to start the ball rolling is he the right person to see it through? We’re talking about things that will take decades to even see the fruits of our labors. Just my very simple and honest way of seeing things. E plurabus unum until out of the many we are truly one our country will never ever reach its full potential and right now we are in a death spiral.
Wade Buck
It comes as no surprise that donald trump is panicking over critical minerals not found in the U.S. because those critical minerals come from China and a few are ONLY found in China. China just placed those critical minerals on a no sell list for the U.S. In retaliation to the idiot donald trump’s increased tariffs on China.
Those critical minerals are required for turbine blades in jet engines, connector paths for computer chips, producing solar panels, high heat coatings for jet engines, making lasers work that are used for munitions guidance and laser targeting, and many other applications vital to national security. Now trump is trying to find any way he can to source the critical minerals China has banned the sale of to the U.S. because he doesn’t want to publicly backtracked and apologize to China for being a moron.
PAUL J CLINE
Too late! China just completely cut us off from some of the most important minerals that we need to manufacture critical items in our country. These minerals are not easily obtained anywhere else … And if you can’t be obtained at all. Trump completely screwed up with his tariffs … And now we will all pay for it! The Trump tariffs have been a complete disaster from day one. These tears need to be reversed immediately. Trump needs to be impeached and removed from office.
Mike Smith
And here we are three days after this article was published, and China is now cutting off our access to various minerals. Getting real tired of seeing our economy crash around us…
Martin Carreon
When we walked away from Afghanistan why do we live the largest copper mine ever to the Chinese they should investigate that
Al Workman
This is reminiscent of US policy in the 1960s and 70s that affected European and other countries seeking the services of US uranium enrichment facilities for their domestic reactor fuel. The US embargoed foreign sources, and so those countries that had their own uranium supply were forced to purchase uranium from the US stockpile if they wanted enriched fuel. A free trader indeed ???
Carrie Harris
We live in the land of milk and honey and in 10 years we won’t have the knowledge left to run a mining operation. We are the United States of America we should never be dependent on any country for anything. Alaska has high quality commercial concentrations of all the rare earth minerals and 49 of the 50 critical minerals it’s not a national park. We as a country should never have to depend on another country for our critical resources especially since we have them right here in the US. We are the United States of America, we should not be dependent on any other Nation for anything we have it here in the US by being dependent on foreign countries that leaves us at their Mercy. And if we don’t start mining start building refineries now in 10 years we will be at other countries Mercy because the knowledge to develop those resources will be gone.