ACMA Submits Letter in Response to the FY2026 NDAA

American Critical Minerals Association

Sep 23, 2025

4 min read

September 23, 2025

The Honorable Mike Rogers The Honorable Roger Wicker

Chairman Chairman

House Armed Services Committee Senate Armed Services Committee

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Adam Smith The Honorable Jack Reed

Ranking Member Ranking Member

House Armed Services Committee Senate Armed Services Committee

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, Chairman Wicker, and Ranking Member Reed,

We write today to commend the inclusion of key provisions supporting the US critical minerals sector in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Building on the success of similar measures in FY2025, we are confident that these new provisions will make significant strides toward achieving our national goal of creating an independent and sustainable critical minerals supply chain.

The American Critical Minerals Association (ACMA) is an industry association that welcomes members from across the critical mineral supply chain, including raw material producers, processors, recyclers, suppliers, manufacturers, and end users, as well as academic institutions and industry allies. ACMA is committed to advancing sustainable and responsible development of domestic critical mineral processing and recycling sectors, while focusing on strengthening our nation's economy and national security.

Global demand for critical minerals grew significantly in 2024, driven by increased energy technology deployment; lithium demand alone rose by nearly 30%, and nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements rose by 6-8%. Despite this clear demand for key minerals, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the U.S. imported more than 50% of 49 mineral commodities in 2024, including 100 percent of our supply of 12 minerals. Additionally, ample supply in non-US countries has outpaced demand and therefore caused downward pressure on prices, creating an unstable pricing environment and further impacting efforts to diversify supply outside of the People’s Republic of China and Indonesia. Given that minerals-based industries contributed over $4 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2024, we share Congress’ concerns about our dependence on China for our critical minerals supply. The U.S. manufacturing sector seeks a secure and sustainable means of procuring certain materials in a manner that is free from the geopolitical agendas of foreign nations who do not share our values nor interests. ACMA believes that the United States’ industrial, defense, and economic policy must keep pace with this strategic objective.

We encourage Congress to continue to work with industry and other stakeholders to enact foundational policy supporting a robust critical minerals sector domestically and in partnership with our allies. Priority areas should include streamlining permitting reform, price support mechanisms, and providing reliable funding to support research and development into critical minerals production, processing, and recycling technologies. We applaud the inclusion of policies supporting the domestic critical minerals supply chain listed below.

FY26 National Defense Authorization Act

Continues to create a Department of Defense battery strategy by focusing on closing the security gaps in critical supply chains, specifically regarding energy storage and battery systems.
Supports the Office of Strategic Capital’s critical minerals efforts and acknowledges the importance of refining and processing capabilities to a secure supply chain for critical minerals.
Establishes a National Energy Storage Systems (NESS) initiative to coordinate domestic efforts across the full battery lifecycle and requires a briefing to discuss the feasibility of the program, supply chain assessments, performance metrics, demonstration timelines, and recommendations for scaling up domestic manufacturing of advanced battery technologies.
Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing to the House Committee on Armed Services covering:
- How current DoD initiatives are supporting advanced processing capabilities to extract critical minerals from mine waste streams in domestic mining operations;
- Information on partnerships with the private sector through grants, loans, or other strategic investments that promote the economic viability of U.S.-based critical mineral production; and
- How the DoD is coordinating with other relevant federal agencies to develop and implement an integrated national strategy for the secure, sustainable sourcing of critical minerals.
Commends efforts to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and reduce foreign reliance. Directs a Jan. 20, 2026, briefing on lithium-ion battery supply chain resilience, adversarial risks, feasibility of a battery foundry, foreign-owned producer security protocols, and domestic manufacturing partnerships.
Acknowledges the U.S.’s reliance on China for critical minerals. Directs a briefing by Mar. 27, 2026, on current/projected mineral demands and efforts to diversify sourcing.
Supports programs to increase participation by small businesses in defense manufacturing especially in sectors like mining and critical minerals, to strengthen the supply chain.
Strengthens the supply chain by encouraging our allies to utilize the Export-Import Bank to lend to nations who use American rare earth materials.

We appreciate your leadership and strongly urge you to take up and pass the FY26 NDAA in its current form to ensure the advancements we are making toward an independent critical minerals supply chain continue uninterrupted. The challenges ahead to securing a reliable and sustainable supply chain for the U.S. economy and our national defense systems are substantial but meeting those challenges is imperative. There is no time to waste.

Thank you for your leadership and for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Sarah Venuto

Executive Director

The American Critical Minerals Association