Staff Reports
Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming has accused the Biden administration of allowing China to completely dominate the United States’ energy policy. During a hearing on President Joe Biden’s budget request for the Energy Department in fiscal year 2024, Barrasso claimed that following President Biden’s agenda would make the US even more dependent on China and Russia. These countries currently control the complete supply of the minerals used in renewable and battery technologies that President Biden favors. The US has many of these minerals, yet Biden’s administration is blocking access to them.
Biden let China in the door https://t.co/DeyttTH9X9
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 21, 2023
Apparently, Biden would rather get these minerals from China than mine and process them in the US. This move puts America at risk since China already controls a significant amount of the supply chain concerning these minerals required in the production of electric battery technology. The US government’s decision to invest $200 million of taxpayers’ money into Chinese company Microvast, which has reported ties to the Chinese Communist Party, is concerning.
Barrasso’s remarks come just after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a questionable decision to stop a mining project in Alaska. One expected result of this decision is that the US will be unable to mine 1.4 billion tons of copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and rhenium, just to protect salmon, which seems ridiculous since the US has a massive reserve of these metals.
This move will make the US more dependent on China, which already has a significant stronghold on the minerals supply chain. China controlled 80% of the world’s rare earth minerals in the past, leading to a severe shortage of these essential elements worldwide. The White House has also claimed that China will be a significant player on our energy policy. The US must question why Joe Biden wants to reward a country that led to the deaths of over 1.1 million Americans and nearly seven million people worldwide.
It’s alarming that the US government is putting the US’s energy policy in the hands of China rather than mining metals in their own backyard. It’s detrimental to the US, as Biden’s move renders the country more vulnerable, putting more resources into the hands of a country with a terrible human rights record. It’s time to acknowledge that President Biden does not have America’s best interests at heart.
