This week, House Foreign Affairs East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairwoman Young Kim (CA-40) organized a roundtable at the Nixon Library to discuss efforts to strengthen the U.S. critical minerals supply chain. She also led a site visit to MP Materials’ Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine in California, which is currently the only large-scale rare earth mining and processing facility operating in the United States.
Rep. Kim’s visit marked the first congressional delegation to the mine since two major developments: a multibillion-dollar public-private partnership between the Department of Defense and MP Materials, and Apple’s $500 million commitment aimed at advancing domestically produced rare earth magnets for its devices. These initiatives are designed to decrease U.S. dependence on China for rare earth elements and enhance security within sensitive defense supply chains.
“We cannot rely on the Chinese Communist Party to power our most critical technologies and defense systems,” said Rep. Young Kim. “China’s move to restrict critical minerals supplies on April 4 was a sucker punch to U.S. industries and a wake-up call to Washington. As Chairwoman of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, I remain laser focused on protecting our economy and national security by building secure, resilient supply chains that Xi Jinping can’t lay a finger on.”
Young Kim has represented California’s 40th district in Congress since 2021 after succeeding Gil Cisneros; she previously served in the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2016. Born in Incheon, South Korea in 1962, Kim now lives in La Habra and graduated from the University of Southern California with a BBA in 1985.
Photos courtesy of MP Materials are available HERE.
