Ensuring National Security and Economic Resilience Through Section 232 Actions on Processed Critical Minerals and Derivative Products
Record date: 2025-04-18
( printed page 16437) Executive Order 14272 of April 15, 2025 Ensuring National Security and Economic Resilience Through Section 232 Actions on Processed Critical Minerals and Derivative Products By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended ( 19 U.S.C. 1862 ) (the “Act”), it is hereby ordered: Section 1 . Policy . A strong national defense depends on a robust economy and price stability, a resilient manufacturing and defense
What this record contains
- Federal Register document
- 2025-06836
- Publication date
- 2025-04-18
- Citation
- 90 FR 16437
- Issuing office
- Executive Office of the President
Official record excerpt
( printed page 16437) Executive Order 14272 of April 15, 2025 Ensuring National Security and Economic Resilience Through Section 232 Actions on Processed Critical Minerals and Derivative Products By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended ( 19 U.S.C. 1862 ) (the “Act”), it is hereby ordered: Section 1 . Policy . A strong national defense depends on a robust economy and price stability, a resilient manufacturing and defense industrial base, and secure domestic supply chains. Critical minerals, including rare earth elements, in the form of processed minerals are essential raw materials and critical production inputs required for economic and national security. Critical mineral oxides, oxalates, salts, and metals (processed critical minerals), as well as their derivative products—the manufactured goods incorporating them—are similarly foundational to United States national security and defense. But processed critical minerals and their derivative products face significant global supply chain vulnerabilities and market distortions due to reliance on a small number of foreign suppliers. These vulnerabilities and distortions have led to significant United States import dependencies. The dependence of the United States on imports and the vulnerability of our supply chains raises the potential for risks to national security, defense readiness, price stability, and economic prosperity and resilience. Processed critical minerals and their derivative products are essential for economic security and resilience because they underpin key industries, drive technological innovation, and support critical infrastructure vital for a modern American economy. They are key building blocks of our manufacturing base and foundational to sectors ranging from transportation and energy to telecommunications and advanced manufacturing. These economic sectors are, moreover, foundational to America's national security. Processed critical minerals and their derivative products are essential for national security because they are foundational to military infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and advanced defense systems and technologies. They are key building blocks of our defense industrial base and integral to applications such as jet engines, missile guidance systems, advanced computing, radar systems, advanced optics, and secure communications equipment. The United States manufacturing and defense industrial bases remain dependent on foreign sources for processed critical mineral products. Many of these foreign sources are at risk of serious, sustained, and long-term supply chain shocks. Should the United States lose access to processed critical minerals from foreign sources, the United States commercial and defense manufacturing base for derivative products could face significant shortages and an inability to meet demand. Associated risks arise from a variety of factors. First, global supply chains are prone to disruption from geopolitical tensions, wars, natural disasters, pandemics, and trade conflicts. Second, major global foreign producers of processed critical minerals have engaged in widespread price manipulation, overcapacity, arbitrary export restrictions, and the exploitation of their supply chain dominance to distort world markets and thereby gain geopolitical and economic leverage over ( printed page 16438) the United States and other competitors that depend on processed critical minerals to manufacture derivative products essential to their economic and national security and national defense. Therefore, the import dependence of the United States on processed critical minerals from foreign sources may pose a serious national security risk to the United States economy and defense preparedness. Third, the risks arising from America's import dependence on processed critical minerals also extend to derivative products that are integral to the United States economy and economic and national security. For the United States to manufacture derivative products, it must have ready access to an affordable, resilient, and sustainable supply of processed critical minerals. Simultaneously, a resilient and sustainable manufacturing base for derivative products is vital to creating a stable demand base for processed critical minerals. Both must coexist to ensure economic stability and national security. Finally, overreliance on a small number of geographic regions amplifies the risks posed by geopolitical instability and regional disruptions. In light of the above risks and realities, an investigation under section 232 of the Act (section 232) is necessary to determine whether imports of processed critical minerals and their derivative products threaten to impair national security. Sec. 2 . Definitions . As used in this order: (a) The term “critical minerals” means those minerals included
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