Steve Christensen, director of the Washington-based Responsible Battery Coalition, told The Epoch Times that he hopes Trump’s revamp of U.S. rare-earth strategy will boost more DOD deals and encourage investments from both private and public sectors. He also noted that the U.S. rare-earth industry faces several hurdles, including securing congressional funding, coordinating among various federal agencies, and overcoming legal challenges related to land use and environmental rules.
He criticized the recent U.S.–China trade deal for not addressing the root issue of building domestic capacity. However, he praised the Big Beautiful Bill Act for its 45X tax incentive (also known as the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit), which could spur $10 billion in U.S. rare earth investments. Like O’Connor, he also emphasized the importance of policy changes to promote domestic battery manufacturing and recycling.
