Expressing support for the strengthening of United States-Africa partnerships in critical minerals development.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 179 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 179

   Expressing support for the strengthening of United States-Africa
             partnerships in critical minerals development.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 3, 2025

  Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick (for herself and Mr. Jackson of Illinois)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

   Expressing support for the strengthening of United States-Africa
             partnerships in critical minerals development.

Whereas critical minerals are essential to United States national security and
        economic interests;
Whereas global critical minerals supply chains on which many United States firms
        and defense needs rely are substantially controlled by foreign entities
        of concern (FEOC), notably including multiple commercial entities based
        in or aided by the People's Republic of China (PRC);
Whereas multiple PRC commercial actors are foreign entities of concern, as
        defined under United States law: entities owned and controlled by, or
        subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a government of a foreign
        country, such as the PRC, that may engage in activity detrimental to
        United States interests;
Whereas the International Monetary Fund estimates that sub-Saharan Africa holds
        30 percent of the volume of proven critical mineral reserves, and at
        least 20 African countries export a range of minerals and metals,
        including those that are deemed ``critical'' to United States national
        security and economic interests;
Whereas critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel are essential to a
        clean energy transition, consumer electronics, and the United States
        defense industrial base;
Whereas some African nations are seeking to increase investments in their
        critical mineral mining and processing sectors as a means of fostering
        greater national mineral-related value-added refining, processing,
        earnings, and related socioeconomic development in their countries;
Whereas responsible mining--mining that is pursued in a manner that is
        environmentally and legally sound, socioeconomically inclusive, and
        well-governed--produces sustainable state revenues, local employment,
        technological transfer and community development;
Whereas poorly governed and unregulated mining frequently produces corruption,
        labor abuses, environmental degradation, and violent conflict;
Whereas the United States-initiated Mineral Security Partnership was established
        in 2022 and is composed of 14 countries and the European Union committed
        to catalyzing public and private investment in high standard-based
        development of critical mineral supply chains and responsible mining
        practices globally;
Whereas, in 2022, the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
        with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to support these two
        countries' commitment to develop jointly a supply chain for electric
        vehicle batteries;
Whereas the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that between $180 billion
        and $220 billion are expected to be invested in the mining of critical
        minerals between 2022 and 2030, but that only 10 percent of such amount
        are slated to be invested in Africa;
Whereas, in 2023, the United States was 82 percent or more net-reliant on
        imports from abroad for supplies of at least 29 critical minerals,
        including 14 rare earth elements, and substantially import-reliant on
        other critical minerals and other technology-essential mined
        commodities; and
Whereas the often-substantial degree of PRC control over critical mineral supply
        chains, including through PRC-origin foreign entities of concern and the
        PRC's imposition of licensing regimes that could potentially restrict
        PRC exports of selected essential critical minerals pose grave national
        security risks to the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, Tt is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
            (1) United States policy should seek to--
                    (A) diversify the sources of supplies of critical
                minerals in a manner that prevents Foreign Entities of
                Concerns (FEOCs) from restricting, increasing the cost,
                or otherwise negatively affecting United States access
                to these resources;
                    (B) improve the efficacy, efficiency, and
                coordination of United States Federal agencies working
                to help businesses invest in critical minerals in
                foreign countries friendly to the United States,
                including through these agencies' implementation of
                United States Government commitments under the United
                States-led multinational Minerals Security Partnership
                (MSP); and
                    (C) enhance mutually beneficial partnership with
                countries in Africa that produce or possess reserves of
                critical minerals by--
                            (i) mobilizing and supporting investments
                        in new or expanded critical mineral production
                        and processing projects in African markets in
                        order to bolster equitable and transparent
                        global market-based access to African mineral
                        production and promote responsible sourcing and
                        value-added processing of critical minerals in
                        Africa;
                            (ii) providing incentives, such as
                        financing or technical assistance, for United
                        States business, and businesses in African
                        countries friendly to the United States to
                        invest in such mineral sector production and
                        processing projects of strategic interest to
                        the United States; and
                            (iii) urging the administration to
                        transform the Memorandum of Understanding among
                        the United States of America, the Democratic
                        Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Zambia
                        concerning support for the development of a
                        value chain in the electric vehicle battery
                        sector into a meaningful investment program
                        that can be modelled and implemented throughout
                        the continent; and
            (2) the House of Representatives urges the Secretary of
        State, in consultation with the Secretaries of Commerce,
        Energy, the Interior, Treasury, and Defense, the United States
        Agency for International Development, the Development Finance
        Corporation, the United States Export-Import Bank, and any
        other relevant Federal agencies as appropriate, to develop a 5-
        year strategy to achieve the following priorities:
                    (A) Strengthen United States commercial diplomacy
                and development efforts to support United States
                critical minerals investors and help address challenges
                of doing business in African countries.
                    (B) Provide financing and technical assistance
                incentives and pursue public-private investment
                mobilization efforts to help eligible African mineral
                producers to capitalize the expansion of their critical
                mineral production and processing capacities in order
                to diversify United States critical mineral supply
                chains and advance African value-addition objectives.
                    (C) Support through the United States International
                Development Finance Corporation and other Federal
                agencies, diversified equity funds and investment
                platforms that provide capital for or incentivize
                United States private sector investment future mining
                projects in African countries.
                    (D) Enhance economic cooperation with eligible
                African critical minerals producers.
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