Live updates: Trump administration to unveil critical mineral plan
President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to unveil its grandest plan yet to rebuild supply chains of critical minerals needed for everything from jet engines to smartphones, likely through purchase agreements with partners on top of creating a $12 billion U.S. strategic reserve to help counter China’s dominance.
Vice President JD Vance is set to deliver a keynote address Wednesday at a meeting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hosting with officials from several dozen European, Asian and African nations. The U.S. is expected to sign deals on supply chain logistics, though details have not been revealed. Rubio met Tuesday with foreign ministers from South Korea and India to discuss critical minerals mining and processing.
The meeting and expected agreements will come just two days after Trump announced Project Vault, or a stockpile of critical minerals to be funded with a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank and nearly $1.67 billion in private capital.
Other news we’re following:
- DHS funding runs out in two weeks: Trump signed a roughly $1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday to end the partial government shutdown. But the package only funds the Department of Homeland Security through Feb 13 at the behest of Democrats who demand more restrictions on immigration enforcement after federal officers killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
- Trump again calls to ‘take over’ elections: The president on Tuesday repeated his desire for the federal government to be in charge of elections — something the U.S. Constitution largely entrusts to states. Senate Majority Leader John Thune had thrown cold water on the idea earlier in the day, saying, “I’m not in favor of federalizing elections.”
- Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation: Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the chair of the House Oversight Committee continued to press for both to be held in contempt of Congress.
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