Takeaways

• President Trump has concurred with findings from a Department of Commerce Section 232 investigation that imports of processed critical minerals are a threat to national security.

• To deal with the national security threat, President Trump has directed Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate agreements that may include price floors and other trade-restricting measures to address market volatility, foreign dependence, and declining domestic production across critical mineral supply chains.

• Ongoing bilateral, regional and plurilateral initiatives signal a coordinated push to create standards-based critical minerals markets, with near-term developments expected in the coming months.