Trump orders probe into imported critical minerals

The news: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order launching a probe into the need for tariffs on imported processed critical minerals.

The numbers: The order calls for the US commerce secretary to initiate an investigation to “evaluate the impact of imports of these materials on America’s security and resilience,” with delivery of results expected within 270 days.

The context: If the commerce secretary finds that imports of critical minerals threaten to “impair national security and the President decides to impose tariffs,” any new levies would replace the current “reciprocal tariffs” announced by Trump earlier this month.

The order covers critical minerals, including rare earth elements, describing them as critical “building blocks of our defense industrial base”. The order also covers uranium as well as processed critical minerals and derivative products.