Discussion · House of Representatives
Jared Huffman Democrat
“I do not support this bill. Supporters claim we need it to stop relying on enemy nations for minerals, but that is not true. We can trade with allies like Canada instead, yet Republicans say nothing when President Trump attacks our trade relationship with Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this argument that we need this legislation to address our dangerous dependency on foreign adversaries for critical minerals continues to ring very hollow. One of the ways that we can avoid being too dependent on foreign adversaries is to develop trading relationships with our allies, none closer to us than Canada. Canada, for example, is one of our largest mineral trading partners. They exported about $76 billion in minerals to the United States in 2025. If making sure that we are not dependent on adversaries like China was really important to us, I should certainly hear a lot of alarm from my friends across the aisle about the fact that President Trump is starting a trade war with Canada, our neighbor, one of our closest allies and a critical minerals trading partner that makes us less dependent on foreign adversaries. Instead we hear crickets. He is even trying to rename Lake Ontario to further antagonize this trading partner, and we hear nothing from the other side. This bill is about many things, but it is certainly not about reducing our dependence on minerals from foreign adversaries. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this argument that we need this legislation to address our dangerous dependency on foreign adversaries for critical minerals continues to ring very hollow. One of the ways that we can avoid being too dependent on foreign adversaries is to develop trading relationships with our allies, none closer to us than Canada. Canada, for example, is one of our largest mineral trading partners. They exported about $76 billion in minerals to the United States in 2025. If making sure that we are not dependent on adversaries like China was really important to us, I should certainly hear a lot of alarm from my friends across the aisle about the fact that President Trump is starting a trade war with Canada, our neighbor, one of our closest allies and a critical minerals trading partner that makes us less dependent on foreign adversaries. Instead we hear crickets. He is even trying to rename Lake Ontario to further antagonize this trading partner, and we hear nothing from the other side. This bill is about many things, but it is certainly not about reducing our dependence on minerals from foreign adversaries. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.