Iowa’s economy runs on hard work — whether it’s farmers in the field or factory workers on the line. But that work depends on something most people never see: rare-earth minerals that power everything from our food and fuel production to fighter jets.
Why it matters: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) currently controls 70% of rare-earth mineral mining. We can’t afford to let Beijing use that leverage to interfere in our economy or drive up costs for Iowa’s farmers and manufacturers.
Flashback: After hearing directly from Iowa producers, I worked with the administration to secure potash and phosphate — two essential fertilizer inputs for Iowa agriculture — on the U.S. critical minerals list, reducing future reliance on the CCP.
But we need to do more. China continues to use its dominance in the mineral market as a pressure point, leveraging supply chains to gain economic and geopolitical advantage over the U.S. I laid out the stakes — and the path forward — in a recent op-ed in National Review. Read it here. ⬇️
When supply chains depend on China, Iowa’s economy pays the price. That’s why I’m fighting for a whole-of-nation effort to onshore mineral production, cut red tape, and work with our allies to counter CCP influence — here in Iowa and around the world.
Bottom Line: America didn’t win the Cold War by relying on Soviet steel — and we won’t secure our future by depending on Chinese minerals. I’ll keep fighting to build a rare-earth supply chain that Iowa producers can depend on.