Tom Cotton Moves to End China’s Rare Earth Monopoly

Senator Tom Cotton is once again stepping up where the Biden administration has failed this time with a bold move to break Communist China’s dangerous grip on the supply of rare earth minerals critical to U.S. defense.

On Tuesday, Cotton introduced the Necessary Environmental Exemptions for Defense Act, a bill that slashes through bureaucratic red tape and empowers the Pentagon to develop essential mineral resources right here in the United States. These are the very minerals that power everything from advanced weapon systems to AI, and right now, China controls nearly all of it.

• China currently produces 60% of the world’s critical minerals and processes up to 90% of them.

• Until 2023, 99% of global heavy rare earth processing came from China, giving Beijing near-total control over materials vital to our military.

• In April, China retaliated against Trump’s tariffs by restricting exports of seven key rare earth elements, used in defense, energy, and automotive manufacturing.

Cotton’s legislation would allow the Department of Defense to bypass burdensome environmental regulations like the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and Marine Mammal Protection Act, which have been used for decades to delay and often kill critical infrastructure and mining projects.

"Current environmental laws put our readiness to counter Communist China at risk," Cotton said. "This bill will create jobs, better arm and prepare our soldiers, and spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently."

This isn’t a new fight for Senator Cotton. He’s been one of the loudest voices warning about the threat from the Chinese Communist Party long before it became politically convenient. Back in early 2020, he was mocked by the left for raising the possibility that COVID-19 originated in the Wuhan lab a theory now acknowledged as credible by both U.S. intelligence and global scientists.

And he’s been just as blunt about China’s ambitions: “I have never trusted a Communist and I never will trust a Communist. And that’s who runs China the Chinese Communist Party.”

Cotton’s warning aligns with the Pentagon’s 2019 report, which laid out China’s aggressive efforts to steal or acquire sensitive U.S. military tech through cyber theft, infiltration, and direct investment tactics that have only intensified under Biden’s weak leadership.

With China accelerating its military modernization and tightening control over global supply chains, this bill is a critical first step in reindustrializing America and defending our national sovereignty. It’s not just about minerals it’s about survival.

While Democrats worry about saving snails and whales, Cotton is focused on saving the country.

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