Fentanyl, Critical Minerals Working Groups Hold First Meetings

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Today, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party's Fentanyl and Critical Minerals Policy Working Groups held their inaugural meetings.

The Fentanyl Working Group, led by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), heard from Mr. Ray Donovan, former Chief of Operations of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Mr. Bill Evanina, former Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. In the roundtable-style event, the experts and members built on the Select Committee's April report on the CCP's role in the fentanyl crisis to discuss the current gaps in the US response and how America should respond in the future. 

In his remarks as prepared for delivery, Rep. Newhouse said, "We are all in agreement that too many Americans have died for us to waste time on political theater. On this issue, there are no Republicans or Democrats. We must face this particularly disturbing aspect of the CCP threat together as Americans."

In his remarks as prepared for delivery, Rep. Auchincloss continued, "We have all joined this working group because we have seen the devastating effects of fentanyl in our districts. Children watching from the backseat as their parents overdose & die in the front seat. Grandparents trying to rescue their children from addiction while raising their grandchildren. First responders overwhelmed & demoralized. On behalf of the hundred thousand Americans poisoned to death every year – and their families – we are resolved to take action by interdicting the supply of fentanyl directly at its source: the Chinese mainland.

Click HERE to read Rep. Newhouse's prepared opening remarks.

Click HERE to read Rep. Auchincloss' prepared opening remarks.

Read more about the mission of the Fentanyl Policy Working Group HERE.

The Critical Minerals Policy Working Group, led by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), heard from critical minerals experts to discuss the importance of battery materials and rare earth magnets in national security and advanced technologies, highlighting current dependencies on foreign production chains, particularly from China. The meeting explored strategies to strengthen domestic production, diversify supply chains, and enhance the resilience and sustainability of the rare earth magnet industry in the United States.

In his remarks as prepared for delivery, Rep. Rob Wittman said, "For decades, PRC policies have aimed to concentrate rare earth elements (REE) and critical mineral supply chains in China. Export quotas and value added tax incentives on rare earth elements, vertical integration of mining and production by state-owned companies, and investment restrictions prohibiting foreign companies from extracting or refining rare earth elements in the PRC contributed to this control...It is clear the PRC is eager to leverage the choke points it developed in this critical sector to harm the national security of the United States."

In her remarks as prepared for delivery, Rep. Kathy Castor continued, "The U.S. is far too reliant on the People’s Republic of China and other foreign sources for critical materials. Beijing has weaponized critical minerals supply chains by imposing export controls on gallium, germanium, and graphite, as well as processing equipment for rare earth materials. Therefore, the U.S. must act swiftly to diversify its critical minerals supply—and do so through bipartisan collaboration to ensure that progress is durable."

Click HERE to read Rep. Wittman's prepared opening remarks.

Click HERE to read Rep. Castor's prepared opening remarks.

Read more about the mission of the Critical Minerals Policy Working Group HERE.