The United States President Donald Trump is preparing to cut some legal requirements, including congressional approval for large projects, to promote domestic production of critical minerals and weapons, as shown by documents.
According to the White House website, the documents are expected to be published on Wednesday (June 4th) in the Federal Register.
This action applies to the Defense Production Act, a law enacted during the Korean War that grants the president broad emergency powers to control domestic industry and resources in times of national security emergencies.
Currently, the critical minerals industry is mainly dominated by the United States’ top economic competitor – China (the CCP).
The law sets some limits on the president’s powers, such as requiring White House to seek congressional approval for projects exceeding $50 million and mandating that projects be completed within a year.
According to the forthcoming documents, the president can waive these restrictions in emergency situations, and President Trump is expected to invoke these powers.
Former President Joe Biden had also invoked similar waiver powers during the COVID-19 pandemic to expedite the production of vaccines and medical equipment.
(This article referenced the report from Reuters)