Trump orders tariff probe on all US critical mineral imports

Source: Reuters

Trump orders tariff probe on all US critical mineral imports

Ernest Scheyder and Costas Pitas
Tue, April 15, 2025 at 6:15 PM EDT 5 min read

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a probe into potential new tariffs on all U.S. critical minerals imports, a major escalation in his dispute with global trade partners and an attempt to pressure industry leader China.

The order lays bare what manufacturers, industry consultants, academics and others have long warned Washington about: that the U.S. is overly reliant on Beijing and others for processed versions of the minerals that power its entire economy.

China is a top global producer of 30 of the 50 minerals considered critical by the U.S. Geological Survey, for example, and has been curtailing exports in recent months.

Trump signed an order directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to begin a national security review under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. That is the same law Trump used in his first term to impose 25% global tariffs on steel and aluminum and one he used in February to launch a probe into potential copper tariffs.

-snip-

Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-signs-order-launching-probe-221532534.html